Hollywood Rivals Turn Friendly at Birthday Bash
In a surprising turn of events that captured Hollywood's attention, John Stamos and Jerry O'Connell appeared together in a friendly Instagram photo that suggests their past tensions have eased. The unexpected moment occurred during comedian Howie Mandel's 70th birthday celebration in Van Nuys, California, where the two actors posed together with Stamos's current wife, Caitlin McHugh.
The selfie, posted by O'Connell on Saturday, shows all three individuals smiling warmly at the camera, creating an image of harmony that contrasts sharply with their recent history. O'Connell even injected humor into the situation by comparing their unlikely pairing to President Donald Trump's meeting with New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House.
From Tense History to Friendly Reunion
The background to this moment traces back to 2023 when Stamos released his memoir, "If You Would Have Told Me," where he made candid remarks about his previous marriage to Rebecca Romijn. The couple had divorced in 2005 after seven years together, with Romijn marrying O'Connell in 2007 and Stamos wedding McHugh in 2018.
In interviews promoting his book, Stamos didn't hold back about his feelings toward Romijn during their separation, telling People magazine he'd once considered her "the Devil" and that the hatred he felt "ruined my life." During an appearance on Howard Stern's show, the Full House star also revealed he'd felt emasculated by Romijn's rising career success during their relationship.
O'Connell addressed these comments during a 2023 episode of CBS's "The Talk," explaining he'd deliberately chosen not to publicly respond to Stamos's characterization of his wife. The Jerry Maguire actor stated he didn't want to "feed into" the situation by drawing additional attention to the matter.
Path to Reconciliation and Moving Forward
Despite the headline-making nature of his initial comments, Stamos later revealed to Howard Stern that his perspective had evolved through alcohol addiction recovery. He acknowledged reevaluating his role in the marriage's failure and recognized that without his difficult experience with Romijn, he wouldn't have been prepared for his current relationship with McHugh.
Howie Mandel playfully took credit for the reconciliation in the comments of O'Connell's Instagram post, writing: "This is what I do. I bring people together. You're welcome." O'Connell captioned the photo with "Gorgeous fam and gorgeous people" before extending birthday wishes to Mandel.
The public display of friendliness between Stamos and O'Connell marks a significant shift from the tension that had characterized their relationship over the past year, demonstrating that even in Hollywood's often-complicated personal dynamics, reconciliation is possible.
