Why Kimmy's parents weren't on the final season of 'Fuller House'

July 2024 · 5 minute read

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The "Fuller House" triple wedding finale is filled with many surprise guests from the past along with Joey McIntyre. But Jimmy and Kimmy Gibbler's parents were among the no-shows.

"It was something that they thought about and because we knew it was the last season, I think it was hard for the writers to introduce what would have been two very significant characters," Candace Cameron Bure, who plays D.J. Tanner, told Insider. 

Stephanie, D.J., and Kimmy were surrounded by the "Fuller House" crew and some old faces from "Full House" at their triple wedding. Netflix

"If they wanted to do that, it should have been probably in an earlier season or two for it to make sense," Cameron Bure added of how Kimmy's parents should have been introduced on the show much earlier. "Because they would be so significant, I think they thought it would detract from the wedding."

Jimmy and Kimmy's parents were the focus of the mid-season premiere.

When Joey announced he was throwing an engagement party, he surprised the Gibbler kids by saying their parents were coming. The entire episode revolved around Jimmy and Kimmy preparing for a reunion with their mom and dad who they hadn't seen in years.

How many years? Apparently, the pair never even met their teenage granddaughter, Ramona, because they were too busy traveling the world.

Jimmy and Kimmy were both overly excited to see their parents, only to be let down by the end of the mid-season premiere. Netflix

By the episode's end, the Gibbler parents don't show up. Instead, they send along a singing telegram to reveal the news. Jimmy's not surprised, but Kimmy is completely distraught.

Upset, she tells Joey this is likely a confirmation her father won't be at her wedding to walk her down the aisle.

When Kimmy realizes her father likely won't be at her wedding, Joey offers to walk her down the aisle. Netflix

Kimmy tells Joey she spent so much time with the Tanner family growing up because her parents were never around. As a result, they always felt more like her real family. Joey shared that was the same reason he spent so much time with Jesse and Danny on the original "Full House."

"Kimmy, I don't like to talk about it very much, but I didn't have the greatest family life either," said Joey. "That's why all you guys became my family."

Kimmy and Joey have a bonding moment on the mid-season premiere which has a big payoff on the finale. Netflix

After realizing how much they had in common, Joey asked Kimmy if he could walk her down the aisle at her wedding. Cameron Bure said that was on purpose to set up the meaningful moment on the finale between Joey and Kimmy so it didn't feel out of the blue.

"That's why they really set it up in a previous episode when Joey is throwing the engagement party that the parents don't show up," said Cameron Bure. "It's actually quite sad, but it gives you that beautiful moment when Joey tells Kimmy that he would love to walk her down the aisle."

Joey walks KImmy down the aisle on the "Fuller House" finale. Netflix

"So then when we get to the wedding day, you see the reason, and I think that was the problem that they were trying to solve," she added.

Cameron Bure said it wouldn't have made sense to only have the Gibbler parents on the finale. 

"I think if you bring the Gibbler parents on, those characters are so extravagant and they're so big and bold that it's almost like there wasn't room," said Cameron Bure. "We already have so many cast members on our show. That's another part of it. It's very hard to serve such big characters that would actually need their own story lines when you already have so many others to service."

You can read our full interview with Cameron Bure here. The final nine episodes of "Fuller House" are currently streaming on Netflix.

Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.

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