Who is D.J. Tanner in Full House?

Show

Full House

Played by

Candace Cameron Bure

First episode

“Our Very First Show”Season 1, Episode 1, aired September 22, 1987

Role

Main cast

Network

ABC

Occupation

Oldest Tanner sister, student

Show run

1987 to 1995

Also known as

DJ Tanner, Donna Jo Tanner, D.J. Tanner-Fuller

D.J. Tanner is the oldest of the three Tanner girls, a level-headed big sister who often ends up helping the grown-ups as much as they help her. Played by Candace Cameron Bure, she grows up on screen across all eight seasons of Full House.

On Full House, D.J. Tanner's story runs through Danny Tanner (Father), Stephanie Tanner (Sister), Michelle Tanner (Sister), Jesse Katsopolis (Uncle), and Joey Gladstone (Honorary Uncle).

Who is D.J. Tanner?

D.J. is the eldest daughter of Danny and Pam Tanner. When the series begins she is still a kid, grieving her mother and annoyed that she now has to share her bedroom with baby Michelle while two uncles move in downstairs. Her best friend and next-door neighbor, the loud and loyal Kimmy Gibbler, is almost always nearby.

As the show goes on, D.J. becomes the practical one among the sisters. She is the first to go through junior high, high school, dating, driving lessons, and college applications, so her storylines often show the family learning how to parent a teenager.

Personality and comedy

D.J. is smart, a little bossy, and quick with an eye roll, especially when Stephanie snoops or Danny tries too hard to be involved in her social life. Her exasperated "Oh, Mylanta!" became one of the show's familiar lines.

She is also the most emotionally serious of the girls. Many of the show's heavier episodes belong to her, from a dangerous crash diet before a pool party to befriending a man with Alzheimer's disease while volunteering. The writers used her to tackle real teenage problems while keeping the family-friendly tone.

Key storylines

D.J.'s big romance is with Steve Hale, a sweet, easygoing boyfriend who becomes part of the household. Their relationship grows serious enough that Danny briefly forbids them from seeing each other, and they break up in season seven when D.J. feels they have drifted apart. In the final season she dates other boys, including Viper and Nelson, and spends her senior year thinking about college.

In the series finale, the prom date Kimmy arranges for D.J. falls through, and Steve shows up in his place. The two share a kiss, a reunion the sequel Fuller House would build on years later.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Candace Cameron, now Candace Cameron Bure, played D.J. for the full eight-season run, one of the seven original cast members who never left the show.

D.J. became the lead of the Netflix sequel Fuller House, which ran from 2016 to 2020. There she is a widowed veterinarian raising three sons in the family home, with Stephanie and Kimmy moving in to help, a reversal of the original premise. The series ends with D.J. marrying Steve.

D.J. Tanner: frequently asked questions

All Full House charactersEssential Full House episodesFull House triviaMore 1980s sitcom characters

All sitcom characters A to Z