Fuller House was seriously this close to being progressive, groundbreaking television. A lot of adjectives have been hurled at Fuller House since it debuted on Netflix in 2015, but “progressive” and “groundbreaking” aren’t two that hit, and they definitely didn’t stick. In Season 2, the show went from “I can’t believe a show fueled by nostalgia is this forward-thinking” to “Oh wait, nope, false alarm” quickly. I’ll shamelessly use Stephanie Tanner’s 30-year-old catch phrase and say “How rude!”
I’m talking about Max Fuller, the eight-year-old middle child of DJ Fuller (Candace Cameron Bure), a character that was almost one of the youngest (or possibly the youngest) gay kid in TV history. Instead, Fuller House created a little kid that lets them make all sorts of gay jokes without actually giving the show’s gay audience (which it most definitely has, considering just how massive a hit the show is) any representation.
Let me get something out of the way up top about Elias Harger, the scene-stealing kid actor that makes Max Fuller everything he is: he’s Fuller House’s secret weapon. Obviously people watch the show because they have fond memories of spending Friday (and/or Tuesday) night with the Tanner family. No one really expected any of the new characters to hold their own with DJ, Stephanie, or Kimmy. Max does. Harger kills one-liners, runs through new catch phrases like they’re already his greatest hits, and–most importantly on this show–knows how to pull at your heartstrings. He’s great.
So that brings me to my next point: it is ludicrous for me to pontificate about whether or not a 9-year-old actor is gay or not. I will address naysayers and head-shakers and say that, going from personal experience, I knew that I was gay when I was 9 (my massive crush on Jurassic Park’s Alan Grant still stands today). My husband knew he was gay when he was 9. Most gay men I’ve met have always known, even if they didn’t really know until way later in life (I finally came out to myself at 21). But still, I want to make it clear that I’m talking about Max Fuller, the character that Fuller House created, developed, and then pulled such a severe 180-turn on that it’ll make you scream “Oh mylanta!”
Max Fuller lives for the drama. He reads the Fuller/Tanner/Gibbler clan for filth. He cries over Lifetime movies and doles out fashion advice. He’s fussy, smart, and particular. He will sashay and shantay on command. He’s the character you go to when you need a #hottake. Max Fuller is the kid that dons light-up overalls and basks in the glow of pyrotechnics while presenting a school project on sustainability.
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Twenty-something years ago, I was a gay kid. I can recognize Max Fuller as a gay kid character. The frustrating thing, the whole reason I’m writing this article, is because Fuller House recognized him as a gay kid, too–and I don’t just mean hints or affectations, although there’s plenty of that. I mean full-on Max-has-crushes-on-boys level recognition. There was a fun, show-stopping, hilarious, out and proud gay kid character on Fuller House of all places, until there wasn’t. The proof:
Kimmy’s daughter Ramona (Soni Bringas) is prepping for a first date with a tween boy. Max doesn’t get why Ramona’s going through with it since she didn’t like the guy, and Romana says she changed her mind, and now she likes him. Max gets it, because he’s had his own experience with flip-flopping on a crush
