Who Is John Stamos’ Wife? His Marriage to Caitlin McHugh, Past Romances & More
John Stamos may be taking on his steamiest role yet when he joins Season 2 of The Hunting Wives.
“I told my wife I was doing it, and she said, ‘Are you gonna show your penis?'” Stamos revealed during an appearance on Today. “And I said, ‘I don’t think so.’ But it’s one of those shows.”
Stamos’ wife is Caitlin McHugh. The two have been together for a decade and got married in 2018. Scroll down to learn more about her, their relationship, and Stamos’ past love life.
Who is Caitlin McHugh?
Caitlin McHugh is an actress, writer, and model. Her first role was in I Am Legend in 2007, although the part was cut from the movie. She has appeared on episodes of Castle, Rescue Me, Switched at Birth, and NCIS: Los Angeles.
In 2014, McHugh had a four-episode arc as Sloan on The Vampire Diaries. Her most recent role was as Amber in 2023’s The Invisible Raptor.
McHugh hosts the How Can I Help? podcast where she “finds nonprofits, businesses, and individuals who are making a positive impact in the world” and “figures out how to help their causes.”
Before she started dating Stamos, McHugh was married to restaurateur Massimo Lusardi. They tied the knot in 2011 and divorced in 2014.
How did John Stamos meet his wife?
Stamos and McHugh first met in 2011. They were both guest-starring on an episode of Law and Order: SVU when they first crossed paths.
McHugh was “in another relationship” at the time, Stamos told People in 2017. However, the two “met back up again” in 2015 when McHugh’s roommate was on an episode of Fuller House. “[McHugh] was in the audience,” Stamos shared. “I walked in, I went, ‘Hey, are you stalking me?’ She’s like, ‘What? No. I haven’t thought of you twice.'”
The relationship began from there, with Stamos popping the question at Disneyland in October 2017. They got married on February 3, 2018, in Studio City, California.
What is the age gap between John Stamos and his wife?
Stamos and McHugh have a 23-year age gap. He was born on August 19, 1963, and she was born on May 13, 1986.
“Being older with someone younger, you go, ‘Alright, you know everything, and they need to listen to me.’ But I’m always learning something from her,” Stamos told People.
Does John Stamos have kids?
Yes, Stamos has one child with McHugh, a son named Billy. The actress gave birth to their baby boy in April 2018, just two months after they tied the knot.
“People are probably sick of me saying I’ve always wanted a kid, but it just happened,” Stamos said in an interview with Ryan Seacrest. “I guess I was waiting for the perfect wife, which I have.”
Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Stamos revealed in 2018 that he and McHugh had to visit a fertility clinic while trying to conceive.
In a 2023 interview with People, Stamos said that he and his wife were going to be one-and-done with kids. “It just doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards,” he explained. “By the way, [Billy has] asked for a kid all the time, like a brother or sister. If we take three minutes of not paying attention to him, he goes crazy. He could never deal with a sibling. No, I know he couldn’t. He’d like it at first.”
Did John Stamos ever date Lori Loughlin?
No, Stamos and Loughlin never actually dated. Although they played a couple on Full House, they never had a romantic relationship in real life.
“A lot of people think, ‘Oh, you guys were romantic,’ or whatever,'” Stamos admitted on the Good Guys podcast. “You know, I happened to say she was the one that got away in something. I think it was before I met Caitlin. And, you know, it was an interesting thing. I wrote about it in [my] book. There was a very small window of the two of us being single at the same time.”
He admitted that “there was a moment” where he had a “choice” between Loughlin and Rebecca Romijn, whom he went on to marry and divorce. “Lori was so sweet, and I loved working with her, but she was too nice for me,” he pointed out. Stamos said he also recalled that he and Loughlin “made out on some ride at Disneyland” at one point, but noted that the actress “said it didn’t happen.”
When Loughlin separated from husband Mossimo Giannulli in October, Stamos confirmed that he and McHugh were supporting her, and even revealed that they live in the same neighborhood. He didn’t hold back on his feelings about Giannulli during the podcast.
“I will never talk to him again,” Stamos insisted. “He’s a terrible narcissist, and I don’t think you ever get out of that unless you’re able to. I pray for this guy. I pray that he gets a hold of whatever hole that he’s trying to fill, however he’s trying to fill it. I pray that he realizes that what he had was everything that anyone could ever hope for, and that he gets some help. I think this guy needs help.”
What happened between John Stamos and Rebecca Romijn?
Stamos met Romijn backstage at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 1994. He attended the event with Loughlin, and Romijn was modeling in the show. The two got married in 1998 and divorced in 2005.
During an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Stamos recalled feeling “emasculated” as Romijn’s career began to take off during their relationship. “I forgot about my own stuff. She was taking off, and I just wasn’t paying attention to mine. And it wasn’t her fault,” he admitted. “I mean, you know, you just get wrapped up in these things. I said ‘You know what? I’ve had enough fame, I’m OK. Let’s put the spotlight on her.’ And I loved watching it. I think that she outgrew me.”
In his memoir, Stamos revealed he “hated” Romijn as their marriage fell apart, and said he was “shattered” by the relationship. “In my mind back then, she was the Devil, and I just hated her,” he wrote, later adding that he eventually recognized his own part in the marriage’s failure. “You start thinking, it’s like, ‘Oh, she wasn’t the Devil. Maybe I was as much to blame as her,'” he continued.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
After the book came out, Romjin admitted to being “surprised” and “sort of blindsided” by her ex-husband’s account. “I don’t really want to help him sell his books based on those headlines. So that’s all I really want to say about it,” she added.
Romijn’s husband, Jerry O’Connell, also slammed Stamos for the book and said he wouldn’t be reading it. However, the guys buried the hatchet in November and even posed for a selfie together at Howie Mandel‘s 70th birthday party.
