John Stamos’ memoir ruffled some feathers after it was released last October, but the actor has no regrets about the “brutally honest” book.
“The week that it came out, I called my publicist and I was crying. I’m like, ‘What did I do?’” the “Full House” actor, 61, told Us Weekly in an interview published Thursday.
Despite his initial remorse, Stamos later realized he needed to share his story to move on from those chapters of his life.
“And this saying came to me: anything less than the truth is paralysis. … I know it sounds corny, but it sets you free,” he said.
The actor said he even held back a bit and “could have told a lot of stories” about other people but wanted to focus on his own journey.
“Why badmouth somebody or why embarrass someone?” he asked. “Talking about myself was one thing and being brutally honest with myself, but about other people?”
Stamos said recording the audio version of “If You Would Have Told Me” “was very emotional and very difficult” for him given the book’s intimate details.
“But I loved it. And it’s very cathartic, I think,” he told the outlet. “You’re in this little booth, almost like a confessional or something.”
Although Stamos claimed he had more to spill, the actor seemingly didn’t hold back when talking about some of his past relationships — specifically with ex-wife Rebecca Romijn.
The model, 51, was in a relationship with Stamos for a decade before separating in 2004. The former couple finalized their divorce one year later.
The “General Hospital” star opened up about their split in his book, hinting at a “betrayal” on the actress’ part.
“She smiles at me a little less, doesn’t look me in the eyes over dinner, takes phone calls in the other room,” he wrote.
“Betrayal starts as a sinking feeling in your stomach, grows into a suspicion that clouds your every thought, and by the time you find out the truth, it’s uniquely horrible at first but also expected, like you’ve been waiting for something bad to happen.”
During an interview with People, Stamos said the pair’s divorce “shattered” him, which made writing certain chapters “really difficult.”
“In my mind back then, she was the Devil, and I just hated her,” he admitted. “I couldn’t believe how much I hated her, and it ruined my life.”
Although Stamos placed most of the blame on Romijn for years, he later realized he also played “some part” in their split.
“You start thinking, it’s like, ‘Oh, she wasn’t the Devil. Maybe I was as much to blame as her.’”
The “X-men” actress later admitted she was “blindsided” by the claims in Stamos’ book.
“I was very surprised by all of that, incredibly shocked actually,” she told “Entertainment Tonight” in January 2024.
“But you know, I don’t really want to help him sell his books based on those headlines. So that’s all I really want to say about it.”
Her second husband, Jerry O’Connell, also repeatedly bashed Stamos for name-dropping his wife in the memoir.
Stamos, for his part, married Caitlin McHugh in 2018.
