When the news broke on January 9, 2022, that Bob Saget had passed away in a Florida hotel room, the shock didn't just hit the comedy world. It hit a very specific nerve of 90s nostalgia. People grew up with him. But for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, it was different. It was personal. Watching the Olsen twins at Bob Saget’s funeral wasn't just a celebrity sighting for the tabloids; it was the closing of a chapter on a family dynamic that spanned decades, even if most of that happened behind closed doors.
They were toddlers when they started sharing the role of Michelle Tanner. Bob was the guy holding them in the opening credits. He was the one who made sure the set felt safe.
He was their TV dad. Honestly, he kind of stayed a dad figure to them long after the cameras stopped rolling at WB Studios.
The Day at Mt. Sinai: Why the Olsen Twins at Bob Saget’s Funeral Mattered
The service took place on a Friday. January 14, 2022. It was at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park in the Forest Lawn area of Los Angeles. Small. Private. But also packed with every comedy legend you can imagine. We're talking Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jeff Ross.
Then you had the Full House crew.
John Stamos, Dave Coulier, Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Lori Loughlin were all there. Seeing Mary-Kate and Ashley arrive felt different, though. The twins are famously private. They don't do social media. They don't do red carpets unless it’s for their brand, The Row. They’ve spent the better part of twenty years distancing themselves from the "child star" label.
Yet, there they were.
They wore oversized black coats and sunglasses. They looked like the high-fashion moguls they are, but they also looked like two women mourning a friend. It put to rest years of rumors that there was "beef" between them and the rest of the cast because they didn't return for Fuller House.
Death has a way of stripping away the PR narratives.
Behind the Scenes of a Decades-Long Bond
People always ask: were they actually close? Or was it just for the show?
The truth is somewhere in the middle. Bob Saget was a famously "blue" comedian. He had a mouth that would make a sailor blush. But when it came to those girls, he was fiercely protective. He once told Jake's Takes that he didn't just see them as co-stars; he saw them as people he'd watched grow from infancy into these incredibly successful women.
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He didn't care about the fashion empire. He cared that they were okay.
When the twins decided not to join the Netflix reboot, Bob was the one who defended them the loudest. He told the press he loved them and that it didn't matter if they wanted to act anymore. He got it. He respected their privacy. That kind of loyalty is rare in Hollywood. It’s why their presence at the funeral felt so heavy. They weren't there for a photo op. They were there because Bob was one of the few people from their early life who never wanted anything from them.
A Reunion Nobody Wanted
The funeral served as a grim reunion.
Stamos later shared that the "Full House" family sat together. Can you imagine that? Danny, Jesse, Joey, DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle, all together in a cemetery. It’s a surreal image.
The twins issued a rare joint statement right after he died. They called him the "most loving, compassionate, and generous man." They said they were deeply saddened. For two women who rarely speak to the public, those words carried weight.
Navigating Grief in the Public Eye
The way the Olsen twins at Bob Saget’s funeral were treated by the media was actually a bit of a turning point. For once, the conversation wasn't about what they were wearing or how thin they looked. It was about the fact that they showed up.
Grief is messy.
It’s even messier when the world thinks they own a piece of your childhood. The twins have spent their entire adult lives trying to own their own narrative. By attending the funeral, they acknowledged that their past—the part they usually try to keep quiet—was something they still cherished.
Bob’s widow, Kelly Rizzo, has mentioned how much the support of the cast meant to her. She’s stayed close with many of them. The "Full House" bond isn't just a marketing gimmick. It’s a real, weird, dysfunctional, beautiful family that was forged in the fires of 80s sitcom fame.
The Impact of Saget’s Legacy
Bob wasn't just a comedian. He was a connector.
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He was the guy who called you just to say he loved you. That’s what everyone said at the service. John Stamos gave a eulogy that was reportedly gut-wrenching. He talked about how Bob was the "glue."
Without that glue, where do the twins fit in?
They’ve always been the outliers. The ones who "made it" in a different industry. But at that funeral, they were just part of the group. No hierarchy. Just a bunch of people who lost their North Star.
What This Tells Us About Child Stardom
There's a lesson here. Most child stars end up resenting the adults they worked with. Look at the history of the industry—it's littered with lawsuits and estrangement.
But Saget was different.
He treated the kids like people. He kept in touch. He invited them to his stand-up shows (though maybe not the raunchiest ones when they were young). He showed that you can be a massive star and still be a decent human being.
The fact that Mary-Kate and Ashley stepped out of their very controlled, very private lives to stand in a cemetery in Los Angeles speaks volumes. It’s the ultimate testimonial to Saget’s character.
Understanding the Timeline of Events
To really get why this was such a big deal, you have to look at the timeline.
- January 9, 2022: Bob is found dead in Orlando. The world stops.
- January 10, 2022: The Olsens release their statement. It’s brief but emotional.
- January 14, 2022: The funeral. This is the first time the public sees the twins with the rest of the cast in years.
- Post-Funeral: The cast gathers at the house of Jeff Franklin (the creator of Full House).
That gathering at Franklin’s house was supposedly where the real grieving happened. Away from the cameras. Just the people who knew Bob’s "dad jokes" and his "dirty jokes" in equal measure.
The Cultural Weight of a Goodbye
We don't get many "pure" things anymore. Everything is "content."
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But the Olsen twins at Bob Saget’s funeral felt like one of the last genuine moments of a bygone era. It was the end of the Tanner family in the physical sense.
It reminds us that even for the most famous people on the planet, some things are sacred. You show up for the people who showed up for you.
Bob Saget showed up for those girls when they were nine months old. He showed up when they were teenagers struggling with fame. He showed up when they transitioned into fashion.
So, they showed up for him one last time.
Why We Still Care
It’s been a few years now. Why does this still pop up in searches?
Because we’re looking for closure. We want to know that the families we watched on TV actually loved each other. We want to know that "Danny Tanner" was as good a guy as he seemed.
The presence of Mary-Kate and Ashley is the proof.
If they can forgive the industry enough to show up for the man who helped raise them within it, then maybe the bond was as real as we hoped it was.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Observers
If you're following the legacy of Bob Saget or the careers of the Olsen twins, here are a few ways to keep that "Full House" spirit alive without the tabloid drama:
- Support Scleroderma Research: Bob was a tireless advocate for the Scleroderma Research Foundation after losing his sister to the disease. It was his life's mission outside of comedy.
- Watch the Comedy, Not the Gossip: If you want to understand why the twins loved him, watch his non-Full House work. His documentary appearances and his own stand-up show a man who was deeply intellectual and incredibly kind, despite the dirty jokes.
- Respect the Privacy of the Mourners: The Olsens chose a life out of the spotlight for a reason. Their appearance at the funeral wasn't an invitation for them to return to acting; it was a personal gesture.
- Revisit the Early Seasons: Go back and watch the first few seasons of Full House. You can see the genuine affection in the way Saget interacts with the babies. That’s not acting. That’s a guy who liked kids.
Bob Saget’s death was a tragedy, but the way his "family" came together—including the two most reclusive members—is a pretty incredible testament to the life he lived. He didn't just play a dad. He was one. And his daughters, all five of them (his three biological daughters and his two TV daughters), were there to see him off. That’s as "Full House" as it gets.