John Stamos opened up about his personal life enough to reveal that he was once took part in an introductory session for the Church Of Scientology.
But he would end up making a less-than-impressive first impression with the some of the leaders at the time.
Rewind back to 1980 when the aspiring actor was 17, Stamos showed some interest in the organization mainly for two reasons: the first was a beautiful young woman invited him to a meeting in Los Angeles, and the other was John Travolta, a member of Scientology since 1975 who happened to be his acting hero.
‘I was in an acting class and there was a hot girl, [who] said to me, “You know we’re all meeting at this [place] on Hollywood Boulevard, you should come after [class],”‘ Stamos, now 61, recalled during an appearance on the Friends In High Places podcast.
At that time he was still two years before he made his acting debut in the role of Blackie Parrish on the hit ABC soap General Hospital in 1982.
John Stamos, 61, revealed he attended an introductory session of Scientology in Los Angeles for two reasons: he was invited by a ‘hot girl’ and his acting hero was John Tavolta, who has been a member since 1975; Stamos is pictured in May 2023
In the end, it was the combination of the invitation from a ‘hot girl’ and his love of all things John Travolta, who inspired him to give it a go and partake one of the meetings.
‘I was working at my dad’s restaurant at the time and I said, “Dad, I gotta go.” So, I went and it was the Scientology building,’ he said of the experience 44 years ago.
‘Seeing [Grease] was like, “I wanna be that,”‘ Stamos recalled. ‘I wanted to be John Travolta, I still do. Well, minus the whatever it is that they do.’
As for his acting hero, the Grease and Saturday Night Fever star is coming up on 50 years as a Scientologist next year, while in comparison Stamos only did last that one introductory session.
Stamos says he was brought into the Scientology building and introduced to a machinery known as the ‘E-Meter,’ which was made out of two cans. The church maintains the so-called electropsychometer device can indicate changes in emotional states to identify stored engrams and ‘levels of spiritual distress,’ per a website description.
The Full House alum wasted little time in playing around with the device, pretending to hold it like he was having a fake phone conversation.
‘I was doing a Peabody and Sherman [impression] and they didn’t like that,’ Stamos explained. ‘Then, I was just f***ing around so much, they said, “Get out [and] get going.” They just kicked me out.’
The podcast’s host, Matt Friend, went on to joke how the ER alum was just ‘too annoying’ to be asked to join up with the controversial organization that has been described by varying people as a religious movement, business, or cult.
‘That’s pretty bad, I must have been terrible,’ Stamos said of his behavior.
Stamos was an aspiring acting, taking lessons, when he was invited to attend a Scientology session in Hollywood, which was two years before he laded his breakthrough role of Blackie Parrish on the hit soap General Hospital; he is pictured around the time he got the role on GH
In his memoir If You Would Have Told Me (2023) the actor and author went ino detail about his experience at Scientology, which he called ‘creepy as f**k’ after the visit
Previously, in his memoir If You Would Have Told Me (2023), the Cypress, California native shared a story of how a young lady named Mia handed him a workbook about the Church Of Scientology, along with some others books he had just accidentally left behind.
Intrigued enough to at least look into what it was, Stamos went on to reveal more about that experience he had at that introductory session.
‘[One man] begins to question me about committing crimes, asks if I have negative thoughts about Scientology or [founder] L. Ron Hubbard and probes into some strange sex inquiries,’ he wrote. ‘The Wayback Machine needle jumps in the corner, and Mia looks disappointed. Apparently, I’m not Scientology material. Darn it.’
While the book intrigued Stamos enough to stop by the Church’s venue, he soon found himself describing it as ‘creepy as f**k.’
