John Stamos stood on stage Tuesday night and accepted an award bearing the name of his late Full House co-star, as the Scleroderma Research Foundation honored him with the Bob Saget Legacy Award during its annual Cool Comedy • Hot Cuisine benefit. Comedian and America's Got Talent judge Howie Mandel presented the award, and the night ended up raising $1,077,000 for research into the rare disease that killed Saget's sister decades ago.
According to the Scleroderma Research Foundation, the award recognizes people who use their platforms to raise awareness and funds for scleroderma research, and it was Mandel who placed it in Stamos's hands. The evening also featured performances from Fortune Feimster, Matt Friend, Ron Funches, Jay Pharoah and Lisa Ann Walter, with Jeff Ross hosting, the foundation's recap notes. A surprise appearance by John Mayer during the live auction helped push two donors to pledge a combined $150,000 for a concert package, per the same account.
Stamos told People that the recognition carried more weight than almost anything else he's received professionally. “Whatever few awards or things that I've received over the years, it's just the most important to me. Especially to carry on,” he said, pointing directly at what the award represents: keeping Saget's work alive.
A Legacy Rooted in Family Loss
The award exists because of Saget's own history with the disease. His sister Gay died from complications of scleroderma, and the foundation says that loss pushed him to deepen his commitment to funding a cure. Saget had been involved with the Scleroderma Research Foundation since 1991 and joined its board of directors in 2003, a role he held for years before his death in 2022.
Scleroderma is a rare autoimmune and rheumatic disease that hardens and tightens skin and connective tissue, and it can also damage the heart, lungs, blood vessels and digestive tract, according to the foundation. There is no known cure, and the organization estimates that roughly 300,000 Americans live with the condition. The Bob Saget Legacy Award, introduced in 2023, has previously gone to Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, John Mayer, Jeff Ross and Caroline Hirsch.
Former Castmates Fill the Room
The benefit doubled as something of a reunion for Stamos, who attended alongside several former Full House castmates. As USA Today reported, Bure told People that the gathering wasn't just about celebrating Stamos — it was about the cause itself. “Raise awareness and money for scleroderma, but to keep Bob's legacy alive,” she said of the group's motivation for showing up together.
Saget, who played Danny Tanner on the sitcom that made Stamos a household name, has loomed large over this event since his death. As Local Memphis reported, the Scleroderma Research Foundation remains a charity close to Saget's heart, and his advocacy directly led to the creation of the award now bearing his name. Cool Comedy • Hot Cuisine itself has served as the foundation's signature fundraiser since 1987, according to the organization.
Looking Back While Raising Money
Kelly Rizzo, Saget's widow, offered her own reflection on the evening, saying she believed Bob was looking down, beaming with tears in his eyes, grateful that people continued to support him and the cause he cared about. Stamos has echoed that sentiment in his own public tributes to Saget, writing that Bob had the biggest heart and used it to make a real difference in people's lives, adding that he misses him every day and feels grateful to be a small part of carrying on his legacy.
For now, the fundraiser's seven-figure haul adds to a cause that has drawn sustained support from Hollywood for nearly four decades, with the foundation putting the event's cumulative fundraising total at more than $32 million. What's not in dispute is the night's headline number: just over $1 million raised, and one more chapter added to an award built entirely around keeping a friend's memory working for others.
