Andrea Barber Says Bob Saget Was 'the Heart' of the 'Full House' Cast's Group Chat Before He Died (Exclusive)

Barber's former costar — and new 'How Rude, Tanneritos!' podcast co-host — Jodie Sweetin also tells PEOPLE the cast hasn't "even had to try to stay close" over the years

Bob Saget will always hold a special place in the hearts of his Full House castmates.

In the nearly two decades since the ABC sitcom wrapped after eight seasons in 1995, the star-studded bunch has remained in close contact. And while this hasn't changed following Saget's death in January 2022, his former costars Andrea Barber and Jodie Sweetin tell PEOPLE they still regard him has the "heart" of their interactions.

In thinking about which of the show's stars gives the best advice and are the best at texting, Sweetin — who spoke to PEOPLE in a joint interview with Barber occurring on July 12, prior to the SAG strike — said: "All I can think of the answer to so many of those things was Bob."

"Yeah, Bob was the main [person] in our group chat, our group text that we have," Barber, 47, chimed in. "He was the heart of all of our group chats."

Related: Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber Aren't Worried About Dave Coulier's Competing 'Full House' Rewatch Podcast (Exclusive)

Sweetin, 41, then lovingly recalled how she and Saget would often take the conversation "very sideways.

"And then me and him would still be going and it would be like, 'I guess no one else is going to keep going with the joke.' And Dave [Coulier] too." she continued. "I think we're all pretty good at [keeping up with each other]. Considering how crazy busy all of us are in our various families and travels and works and all of this, we talk relatively frequently in some form of group chat or another."

And according to Sweetin, "There wasn't a clique of one or two people and then everyone else was kind of disjointed. It just was never like that and it never has been."

"It's weird to say because we haven't even had to try to stay close. It's just like, I don't know, we're family. We've known each other forever," she continued. "You don't try. You just do it. I just know we're going to see these people and be a part of each other's lives forever at this point, I don't think. Thirty-seven years, that's it — we're all stuck together."

That enduring closeness is something Barber and Sweetin will bring to their new How Rude, Tanneritos! podcast via iHeartRadio, which launched Tuesday. Barber is especially "eager to see" how their friendship deepens as they look back on the series and their time growing up on set.

"Jodie and I have always been close, and Fuller House just brought us even closer, and so I'm expecting that this podcast will do the same. We're just going to get even closer," she said. "Full House was our childhood for eight years — eight very formative years — and so getting to relive those memories, things that we haven't thought about in 35 years, I expect it's going to deepen our bond even more than it already is."

Sweetin also noted that the pair are "dissecting" the many layers tied to their experience together.

"I know that there will be some really interesting insights and thoughts that come up with watching just how little I was and what we were doing at such a young age," she added. "It's pretty crazy."

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