In the wake of Bob Saget's untimely death on Sunday, a wave of tributes and condolences poured in from celebs and comics sharing adoring stories of the comic, celebrating his legacy. Among them is legendary stand-up comic and Saget's long-time friend, George Wallace.
Wallace spoke with ET's Nischelle Turner on Monday and reflected on the stand-up comedy side of Saget, which was famously quite different in tone and content than the "America's Dad" persona Saget had earned from his roles on TV sitcoms.
"When I first heard it last night, I was like, 'What?!' And I was knocked for a loop. And the more I thought about it the more I started laughing," Wallace shared. "Because if you know Bob, you can't help but to laugh. It's going to happen to all of us, and I guarantee you, right now, he would say, 'If you want to do me a favor, you keep laughing. Keep laughing no matter what."
Wallace reflected on how he and Saget had known each other since 1979 as hustling stand-ups, sharing, "We all used to run the streets together back when we were in our early days and we didn't know what we were doing. We was just trying to get somewhere, and it was so much fun."
"It's a small fraternity that we have and we all know each other and we love each other and there is something about the comedians, you know, right now. Today, there is ,a lot of us, but when we started back in the day, there were less than 50 of us," Wallace shared. "We loved each other, we all knew each other because we only hung out at the comedy store. "
"We didn't care about money, we just cared about trying to get on stage, doing our acts for free," he continued. "Bob was crazy and just had an infectious smile and always happy. Everybody loved Bob, no matter what. Because he only had good things to say about people -- and nasty filthy things to say about you too."
As many have learned over the years, the kind of comedian Saget was on stage was a far cry from the wholesome, clean-cut character he played on family friendly fare, and Wallace said it was an amazing juxtaposition.
"As much as we loved him as Danny Tanner [on Full House] and the host of American Funniest Videos, he had the filthiest mouth in the world," Wallace said. "Nobody bluer, nobody nastier, I can't even tell you some of the things he talked to us about. Just crazy! But a lot of fun and we loved him."
Saget died on Sunday in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida, where he'd been performing on his I Don't Do Negative stand-up tour of the country. He had taken the stage on Saturday, just hours before his death, at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Jacksonville, Florida.
Saget took to social media Saturday night to share his appreciation for the audience and expressed his renewed love for stand-up comedy.
"Okay, I loved tonight’s show @pontevedra_concerthall in Jacksonville. Really nice audience. Lots of positivity. Happened last night in Orlando last night at the Hard Rock Live too. Very appreciative and fun audiences," Saget captioned the post. "Thanks again to @comediantimwilkins for opening. I had no idea I did a two hour set tonight."
"I’m back in comedy like I was when I was 26.I guess I’m finding my new voice and loving every moment of it," he added. "Goin’ everywhere until I get the special shot. And then probably keep going cause I’m addicted to this s**t. Peace out. ✌️"
Wallace reflected on Saget's final post, and explained just how important stand-up comedy was for Saget, as well as himself and other comics of their generation.
"It's my sex and it's my drugs, that's how much we loved it. That's what Bob just said in Florida," Wallace shared. "He said he didn't know he was on stage for two hours? Yes he did. Yes he did... he could talk forever. As a matter of fact, if they didn't close the doors, he would be talking right now. You give him a good time he could talk forever."
"Everybody loved him. Everybody loved him, as you can see the stories going around. Nobody had a bad story at all," Wallace added. "What a great guy. So, like I said, the more you talk about him the more you laugh. So stop [feeling] sorrow, because I swear to you, I swear to you, he would not want you to be sorrowful."
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