You remember the hair. That perfectly parted, slightly floppy mid-90s heartthrob hair that basically required a dedicated permit to exist in Southern California. Before he was the arrogant Joey Donner in 10 Things I Hate About You or the intense Wilson West on 7th Heaven, Andrew Keegan was just another cute face stopping by the Tanner household.
Honestly, if you blinked during the final season of the show, you might have missed him. But for anyone who grew up watching the TGIF lineup, seeing Andrew Keegan on Full House was a canon event for Stephanie Tanner fans. He played Ryan, the cool guy who single-handedly gave Stephanie one of her most relatable—and totally mortifying—teenage moments.
That Time Stephanie Got Stood Up (Thanks, Ryan)
It happened in the eighth season. Episode 21, "All Stood Up." By this point, the show was winding down, but the drama for the middle Tanner sister was peaking. Stephanie had a massive crush on Ryan, the "hottest guy in school."
She finally works up the nerve to ask him to the big dance. He says yes. Everything is looking up. And then?
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He just... doesn't show.
Ryan stands her up. Stephanie spends the evening sitting on the living room floor in her fancy dress, eating a bucket of fried chicken. It’s brutal. It’s one of those scenes that hits different when you’re thirteen and realize that even TV stars get rejected.
Keegan played Ryan with that specific brand of "cool guy" detachment. He wasn't even a villain, really. He was just a teenage boy who decided he’d rather go to the movies with his friends than go to a dance with a girl he barely knew. When Danny Tanner (classic Danny) tracks him down at school to give him a piece of his mind, Ryan actually feels bad. He eventually apologizes and asks Stephanie out for pizza, not because Danny intimidated him, but because he realized he acted like a jerk.
The 90s Guest Star Industrial Complex
Keegan wasn't the only one. Full House was like a revolving door for future stars. You had Danielle Fishel before she was Topanga, Jaleel White crossing over as Steve Urkel, and even a young Scott Baio.
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But Keegan was different. He had this "bad boy" energy that the show usually stayed away from. Even in his brief appearance as Ryan, you could see the blueprint for the characters he’d play later—the popular guy who was maybe a little too self-absorbed for his own good.
Why do we still talk about this one episode?
- The Relatability: Every kid has felt that "waiting by the door" anxiety.
- The Hair: Seriously, the styling in this episode is a time capsule.
- The Career Jump: It was a pit stop on his way to becoming the face of late 90s teen cinema.
Life After the Tanner House
It’s wild to look at where he went from there. After guest-starring on every major sitcom of the era—Moesha, Boy Meets World, Step by Step—he hit the big screen. Independence Day (briefly) and then the legendary 10 Things I Hate About You.
Then things got... interesting.
Keegan didn't follow the typical "former teen idol" path. He didn't just fade into Hallmark movies or reality TV competitions. Instead, he founded Full Circle, a spiritual community in Venice Beach. For years, the internet was obsessed with the idea that he’d started a cult. He’s been pretty open about it recently, especially on the Pod Meets World podcast, explaining it was more of a community center and a "social experiment" than some nefarious organization.
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He put a lot of his own money into it. Tens of thousands. It was about "vibing" and community service, but the media ran with the "cult leader" headline because it was way more interesting than "actor likes yoga and kombucha."
The Legacy of Ryan
When you look back at Andrew Keegan on Full House, it's a reminder of a very specific era of television. It was a time when a guest spot on a Friday night sitcom could make you a household name by Monday morning.
He didn't need to be a series regular to leave a mark. He just needed to be the guy who made Stephanie Tanner eat fried chicken in a ball gown.
If you're feeling nostalgic, you can still find the episode on Max or Hulu. It holds up, mostly because the feeling of being stood up is universal, whether it’s 1995 or 2026.
Next Steps for Your 90s Nostalgia Trip:
- Watch "All Stood Up": Season 8, Episode 21. Look for the scene where Danny confronts Ryan in the hallway—it’s peak "Protective Dad" Danny.
- Compare the Roles: Watch Keegan in 10 Things I Hate About You immediately after. The evolution from "accidentally mean" Ryan to "intentionally mean" Joey Donner is a masterclass in 90s archetype acting.
- Check out his podcast appearances: If you want the real story on the Venice Beach community, his 2024/2025 interviews are much more nuanced than the old tabloid headlines.