Netflix and John Stamos win April Fools’ with faux documentary and tantrum

If John Stamos was to win an Emmy for anything, it might just be his absolutely stellar performance in this freakout video at the Netflix office, part of an elaborate April Fools’ Day prank pulled by the actor and the streaming TV service.

It all began with a promo and trailer Netflix posted late Thursday night for a supposed upcoming documentary based on Stamos’ life, called John Stamos: A Human, Being. If the cheesy title wasn’t enough to convince you it wasn’t real, the listed premiere date should have been. The release date of April 31, as any keen-eyed reader would realize, doesn’t exist.

In the original video, Stamos talks of how Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, approached him to create a documentary based on the actor’s storied life and 30-year career. “Who is John Stamos?” the actor poignantly asks in the video. “What is John Stamos?” According to him, he’s a worldwide brand, a teenage heartthrob. He’s a human, but he’s also a human, being. How philosophical. “Lights, camera, Stamos,” the promo/trailer ends.

Stamos and Netflix could have stopped there but today, a skillfully shot video “secretly” captures Stamos freaking out at a receptionist at Netflix’s head office after he discovers that the proposed documentary was all a joke for April Fools’ Day. He screams profanity, pacing around angrily, even throwing things at one point. “Netflix? This is just a glorified Blockbuster!” he screams, continuing the tirade of insults against the streaming service. If we didn’t know any better, we’d think it was all real. It wouldn’t be the first time, after all, that a celebrity was caught on camera throwing a tantrum. This video, we warn, is NSFW.

Adding to the humor, if you visit Netflix right now, you’ll notice your headers have changed to fun ones like “Comedies John Stamos Thinks are Funny,” “New Releases Which Suffer from a Distinct Lack of Stamos,” “Independent Films Starring Actors Less Rich & Famous Than John Stamos,” and “TV Shows About Crimes a Nice Guy Like John Stamos Would Never Commit.”

Nice going, guys. We wouldn’t be surprised if the offers started rolling in for Stamos to play some more dramatic roles after seeing that passionate performance. Uncle Jessie, he was not.