‘Full House’ Star Faces New Battle: Actor Reveals Tongue Cancer Diagnosis After Beating Lymphoma

Actor Dave Coulier is facing a new health battle only months after celebrating a major victory.

In an interview on Today, the Full House star shared that he has been diagnosed with p16 squamous carcinoma, a form of head and neck cancer found at the base of his tongue. The discovery came during a routine PET scan in October, which he went in for after completing treatment for stage III non-Hodgkin lymphoma earlier this year.

Coulier said he was surprised when doctors told him the cancers were unrelated, adding, “So I said to the doctors, ‘Well, did this happen because of the lymphoma?’ And they said, ‘Totally unrelated.’”

Coulier explained that he had been on Today just a year earlier to talk about his first diagnosis. That cancer was found in late 2024 after severe swelling caused by an upper respiratory infection led to a series of scans.

He went through seven months of chemotherapy and leaned heavily on support from friends and family. He said that John Stamos visited him at his home in Michigan, calling the gesture meaningful and adding, “He’s just a brother, and he just came to support me, and my wife Melissa — and the outreach of support has been amazing.”

The long months of treatment forced Coulier to slow down and think about his health in a new way. He shared that he started looking at the products he used every day and became concerned about the chemicals around him.

That reflection pushed him to build a digital marketplace focused on cleaner, safer items. He said the idea grew into AwearMarket.com because replacing everything on his own felt overwhelming. As he put it, “I started to see that I was surrounded by toxicity… AwearMarket.com was born because I thought, ‘To replace all this stuff in my life is really difficult, I need to create a place where it’s easier for people.’”

Coulier is now in the middle of treatment for his second cancer. He told People that he is undergoing 35 radiation sessions and will finish them on December 31. He explained that speaking and swallowing have become painful and said, “I sound like I’m drunk because I slur my words.” He has also lost about 10 pounds but said his wife, Melissa Bring, has been helping him maintain a diet that works during treatment.

Even with the challenges, Coulier said his outlook is hopeful. During his Today appearance, he shared that p16 squamous carcinoma has a strong cure rate and stressed that catching it early made a major difference.

He said, “Prognosis is very good… Early detection saved my life, not just the first time, but the second time as well.” He encouraged others to stay on top of medical screenings, saying that tests like colonoscopies and prostate exams can save lives. Coulier told People that without the PET scan, his doctors would not have spotted the second cancer so early, adding, “As weird as this sounds, I’m now actually thankful for the first cancer, because it helped me detect this second one.”

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