In the ’80s and ’90s, Jodie Sweetin starred as the middle child, Stephanie Tanner, on the beloved 90s sitcom, “Full House.” But amid all the popularity and fame, the Hallmark star recalls battling mental health issues at a very young age.
In a new interview, Sweetin bravely opens up about her chronic anxiety and how it developed into other detrimental habits.
Jodie Sweetin Battled Mental Health Issues & Addiction as a Young Actor
On the set of “Full House,” Jodie Sweetin forged several lifelong friendships. She even went on to reprise her role in “Fuller House” from 2016 through 2020. But even a glamorous life as a Hollywood star came with drawbacks.
“As a child actor, your entire job is to do what you’re told,” Sweetin shared on the “Inside of You” podcast. “Your entire job is to listen to the people around you, and get the laughs, and make it funny, whether you’re sick, whether you’re tired, whether you’re whatever, you have a job to do.”
“And like, I loved it,” the actress continued, noting that acting still came with some difficulty. “You can’t help but like have certain leftover things that come from that, then it’s over and you’re like, ‘Well now how do I fill all that space?'”
The podcast host asked Jodie Sweetin what she thought her life would have looked like had she not been a child star. Unfortunately, Sweetin admitted her battle with addiction likely would have still occurred.
“It had nothing to do with that,” she explained. “Like I always say, it sort of added a real nice icing on the [expletive] cake of mental health issues. But yeah, I always struggled with depression and anxiety as a kid.”
The “Full House” star went on to detail how she had severe anxiety even at the age of seven. It developed into people-pleasing habits, especially for the sake of adults around her.
“I just wasn’t a person that wanted conflict, it wasn’t really ever me,” Sweetin shared. “So combine that with people-pleasing, you’re just a doormat. And you learn that as a kid, that’s what you have to do in order to get through your job. But that’s not what you should do in order to get through life.”
The ‘Full House’ Cast Forged Genuine Connections
Though Jodie Sweetin battled depression and anxiety on the set, she formed a sincere sisterly bond with her co-star, Candace Cameron Bure.
“I mean, when Candace and I, when we were young we used to fight,” the 44-year-old told Josh McBride on his podcast. “She was the baby of her family and then I came along on this faux family and I was young and cute and sassy and funny and I was an only child. So it was like, ‘Oh my god, hi! Let’s be friends!’ And she was just like, ‘You need to go away.’”
Sweetin remembers that they actually fought like sisters, but there was genuine love between them. Candace Cameron Bure even served as the maid of honor at Jodie Sweetin’s first wedding. Though the women are very different as adults, they seem to still have mutual respect for one another.
Fans wish Jodie Sweetin well as she reflects on the painful chapters of her past.
