“It Took Me Writing A Book”: John Stamos Revealed Why He’s Ready To Talk About His Childhood Sexual Abuse

Warning: This article includes a discussion of child abuse.

In his new book, John Stamos recently revealed his experience with a traumatic childhood event.

Maybe some remember him in the ’80s as Blackie Parrish from General Hospital.

Perhaps some might know him as Dr. Tony Gates from the NBC medical drama ER.

Or everyone definitely remembers him as Uncle Jesse Katsopolis from the ’90s sitcom Full House.

But, aside from acting, what some people might not know is that John is a passionate advocate for protecting children, like his work with Childhelp, the National Child Abuse Hotline. And now, he’s revealed part of his motivation is personal.

In his upcoming memoir, If You Would Have Told Me, the 60-year-old actor revealed that he is a survivor of sexual abuse from his former childhood babysitter.

The Full House alum explained to People that “it took me writing a book” before he realized that what allegedly happened back then was unacceptable.

“I mean, I knew, it was always in the back, and I do so much advocacy for the [survivors],” John said. “I felt like, I remembered it slightly. It has always been there, but I packed it away as people do, right?”

John claimed that he initially didn’t tell anybody. “I think I told myself, like, ‘Ah, it’s girls, man,'” he said. “It was like you’re playing dead, so they’ll stop. But it wasn’t totally aggressive,” he recalls. “I don’t know, it was not good.”

According to People, John reflected on the traumatic experience while preparing an acceptance speech for an award he received for advocacy for abused children. “I started to write it, and that’s when it really came out,” he remembered.

Then, he faced the challenge of not centering himself in the moment intended to support the children. “And then I thought, ‘No, tonight is not about me. It’s about the kids. I’m going to pack it away again until the right moment,'” he added. “Otherwise, I’m a phony fuck. It’s like, ‘Come on.'”

He explained that he didn’t want this traumatic period to overshadow his entire story. “I didn’t want the headlines to be that, and I didn’t want the book to be over that,” John explained. “It was a page or something, but I felt I had to talk about it. It was weird. It was something that, I think, I was probably, like, 10 or 11 [when it happened]. I shouldn’t have had to deal with those feelings.”

John Stamos’s memoir If You Would Have Told Me is available Oct. 24.

If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.