Bill Maher Admits He Turned Down Starring Role on Iconic '90s Sitcom: 'That Was a Good Decision'
- - Bill Maher Admits He Turned Down Starring Role on Iconic '90s Sitcom: 'That Was a Good Decision'
Alex GurleyDecember 30, 2025 at 3:48 AM
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Noam Galai/Getty Images
Bill Maher almost had an entirely different career after being offered a lead role on one of ABC's most beloved sitcoms back in the 1990s.
The comedian and political commentator looked back on the missed opportunity on his Club Random podcast that aired on Monday (Dec. 29), revealing to guest John Stamos that he was almost cast on Full House as Danny Tanner.
"I may be misremembering this but I think I was offered the part on Full House. I seem to remember it being a big thing," Maher recalled. "We really debated it because it was money and it was a lead on a show."
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Maher went on to say that at the time, he thought it "wasn't right" for him, especially because it involved working with kids. The role ultimately went to the late Bob Saget, which Maher admits was the right decision all around.
"That was a good decision on both parts," Maher said on the podcast, to which Stamos agreed.
At the time, Maher instead took on a role as a detective on a show called Hard Knocks on Showtime, just as the network was launching. He says the show ended up being much more his "vibe."
Meanwhile, Stamos noted that Saget also turned down the Full House role initially, explaining that he was not available to film. At the time, he was under contract to host CBS' The Morning Program. Instead, the pilot featured actor John Posey. When the pilot was later reshot with script revisions, Saget had became available and Posey was replaced.
Saget went on to star on the show for the duration of its eight season run, from 1987 to 1995.
You can hear all that Bill Maher had to say below.
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This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
