Fuller House: Why DJ & Steve Really Broke Up In Full House

DJ (Candace Cameron-Bure) and Steve (Scott Weinger) finally tied the knot on Fuller House after being previously married to different people, but why did the high school sweethearts broke up in Full House in the first place? More than two decades since the ’80s/’90s sitcom wrapped up, Netflix brought it back via a spin-off that focused on the show’s younger cast. At its forefront was the eldest Tanner sister, who, like her father, was early widowed and left to raise three young kids. Unlike Danny (Bob Saget), much of DJ’s arc on Fuller House revolved around her love life, particularly as she rekindled her romance with Steve. 

One of the biggest reasons why Full House resonated with a lot of viewers was because it realistically depicted the highs and lows of raising three kids. DJ, being the Tanner first-born, was the first one to start dating. She did have a couple of puppy loves but when she began being romantically involved with Steve, the pair quickly became steady. Her relationship with him became an integral part of her character’s story. When the couple suddenly started having problems that ultimately led to their break-up, viewers were devastated. 

By the end of Full House, DJ and Steve got back together, but Fuller House revealed that they went on their separate ways again, even marrying different people. For DJ, the person she married was Tommy Fuller Sr. — the father of her three kids who died in the line of duty as a firefighter. Even with this information, some fans are still wondering why break up the couple in the original show, if the writers were planning to reunite them fairly quickly? The answer lies in what was happening behind the scenes of the sitcom back then. After Full House creator Jeff Franklin left the show in season 5, the new creative team wanted to shake things up and pull unexpected twists. Since DJ and Steve had been together for quite a while at that point, they figured that it was time to break them up. Instead of coming up with a big inciting incident for their split, they decided that the couple supposedly just grew apart. 

In terms of Full House’s narrative, this made sense, especially since the pair was forced to sustain their relationship through long-distance because Steve was already in college. The way Full House depicted the break-up was quite disappointing. While they were having more problems than usual as they navigated their new circumstance, the break-up felt forced and unearned. It was clear that the couple was invested in each other and seeing them, particularly DJ, just up and leave was uncharacteristic. Eventually, DJ ended up dating other guys, including the rich guy, Nelson (Jason Marsden), but her stint with them only made it clear that she was meant to be Steve. Ultimately, the writers realized that and decided to reunite the couple in the Full House finale. 

Franklin returned to spearhead Fuller House after his messy exit from the original show. Knowing full well the backlash from DJ and Steve’s split on Full House, he made sure that they officially get married before the spin-off wrapped up. The only problem is that the Netflix show became so caught up in their romance, it essentially forgot the family aspect of the series. 

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