John Stamos reveals his famous 'Full House' catchphrase was inspired by a Roy Orbison song

• John Stamos said his "Full House" catchphrase was inspired by the Roy Orbison song, "Pretty Woman."
• Stamos frequently said "Have mercy!" on the series and the Netflix reboot, "Fuller House."
• He previously said director Garry Marshall recommended Stamos get a catchphrase for his character.

John Stamos revealed that his popular "Full House" catchphrase was inspired by the Roy Orbison song, "Pretty Woman."

Stamos played Jesse Katsopolis, aka Uncle Jesse, on the popular sitcom for eight seasons, from 1987 to 1995. His flawless '90s look and catchphrase "Have mercy!" are particularly memorable for "Full House" fans.

Even though he retired the outdated hair and fashion when he reprised his role in 2016 in the Netflix reboot "Fuller House" (which ended in 2020 after five seasons) the iconic catchphrase was back.

While promoting his new true-crime podcast, "The Grand Scheme: Catching Sinatra," Stamos told Insider that "Have mercy!" was inspired by the 1964 song where Orbison sang about a "pretty woman" he spotted on the street. In the last line of the first verse, the lyrics say: "No one could look as good as you, mercy."

Stamos explained that back in the '80s, he and his bandmates would say the phrase when they'd see "a pretty girl," but the actor clarified that he is "much more respectful" about addressing women now.

"It was a good catchphrase to have, 'cause people could use it, and it sort of means like, 'Hey, that person's good looking or something,'" Stamos told Insider in July.

He added: "I'm glad it wasn't like, 'sit on it' or something that I wouldn't want following me around for the rest of my life."

Stamos previously opened up about the Orbison song inspiring his famous catchphrase to WTOP in 2017.

The "Big Shots" actor also said at the TV Land Icon Awards in 2016 (and more recently to Insider) that it was director Garry Marshall who told him to come up with a catchphrase when Stamos first landed the "Full House" role in 1987.

"That's Garry Marshall's fault. He said, 'Yeah, get a catchphrase.' He's the one who really got me the job on [Full House]," Stamos told Insider.

Three years after Stamos started saying "Have mercy!" on "Full House," Marshall also directed the 1990 film "Pretty Woman" that was named after and featured the same song that inspired Stamos' famous catchphrase.

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