Bob Saget's Pals Jeff Ross and John Mayer Encouraged Widow Kelly Rizzo to Date After His Sudden Death: 'Whenever You're Ready'

Bob Saget's friends Jeff Ross and John Mayer encouraged his widow Kelly Rizzo to date after his shocking death.

They wed in 2018, and were together until the Full House star died from blunt head trauma after an apparent fall at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Orlando, Fla., while he was on tour. He was 65.

The Eat, Travel, Rock founder opened up about dating after her spouse's death on the "Girls Gotta Eat" podcast that aired on Monday, May 19.

"I said, 'OK, in terms of dating or moving forward, I'm not even gonna think about that for one year,'" Rizzo, 47, recalled, fearing that "anything before a year might be seen as a little too soon."

On the first anniversary of his death, friends and family intervened.

"At my house, I had Jeff Ross and John Mayer over and Bob's nephew, Adam," she told hosts Ashley Hesseltine and Rayna Greenberg. "And then Jeff Ross goes, 'Kel, elephant in the room, we got to talk about it. When are you going to start dating again?' And I was like, 'Jeff, I mean, I'm not really ready just yet.'"

"And John's like, 'Whenever you're ready, it's OK. If you want to get back out there, like, it's OK,'" she said.

Ross warned her they would discuss it again if she didn't start dating again by the second anniversary of Saget's passing.

Indeed, loneliness crept in about 14 months after he died.

"And then you start to feel — after over a year of not having a hug or a kiss or feeling lonely, I'm like, 'Oh, I don't want to feel like this frumpy old widow,'" Rizzo said.

Rizzo wanted to "feel alive again," but thought she would be viewed as "off limits" because she's a widow, she told the podcast.

"I sat down with Bob's daughters, and I said just that: 'I'm starting to feel a little lonely,'" Rizzo said.

His grown daughters Aubrey, Lara and Jennie, whose mom is his ex-wife Sherri Kramer, told her they wanted her to "'be happy.'"

"They're like, 'Well, you don't need our permission,'" Rizzo remembered. "I go, 'I know I don't need your permission, but I want your blessing. [They said,] 'Our dad would want you to be happy.'"

Rizzo went public with her romance with actor Breckin Meyer, 52, when the couple attended the Jam For Janie Grammy Awards Viewing Party in February 2024.

She went Instagram official with the Clueless alum on Tuesday, May 7, to wish him a happy birthday. It was the first time she shared a couples photo.

Rizzo told Us Weekly in November 2024, “People have said, ‘I think Bob sent you Breckin.' The funny thing is that when [Bob and I] were together, the thought of me talking to somebody else, he would have lost his mind. But, I distinguish between heavenly Bob and earthly Bob.”

She continued, “Earthly Bob would have been like, ‘How dare you?’ Heavenly Bob wants me to be happy. I feel, like, if he could have picked anyone for me, it would have been Breckin because he really respected Breckin a lot and really liked him a lot and they really liked each other.”

Rizzo still honors the memory of her late ex.

She marked his 70th birthday Sunday, May 17, with an Instagram reel of a birthday they spent together as he showed appreciation with his trademark humor.

"Happy heavenly 70th birthday," she began. "Wow… 70. I always think about what Bob would be doing and what he’d be like if he were still here. First of all, he would absolutely want everyone to know he was the youngest-looking, youngest-feeling, and youngest-acting 70-year-old on the planet. (1000% true) And he’d still be going full steam ahead."

She continued, "Bob didn’t believe in retirement. That word just wasn’t in his vocabulary. He’d still be saying he was 'just getting started.' He would still love creating, working, making people laugh, and finding new ways to share his gifts with the world. And honestly, I think his greatest joy right now would’ve been being a grandpa… while still being the incredible dad, husband, friend, uncle, and so many other things to so many people."

She imagined where his career would be now.

"It would be so fun to watch him still out there absolutely killing it in the comedy world. He never, ever wanted to stop. He always talked about his dear friend Don Rickles still doing stand-up close to 90, and his other dear friend Norman Lear still going to work every day and making deals at nearly 100. That’s how Bob saw his future."

Rizzo cherished every moment of the relationship.

"While my mantra since losing Bob has always been that I wasn’t robbed, because I’m so lucky I got to experience the gift of him for six beautiful years… d---, I really do wish we all got to see what he’d be doing today. I know it would’ve been something great. And I know it would’ve made so many people happy, especially all the people who loved him so much," she expressed.

In parting, she wrote, "We love you, we miss you, Bob. And we’re so excited to celebrate you today and every day. And I am so honored to continue to share all the Bob love. Please join me in wishing Bob a happy heavenly 70th birthday. ❤️🎂🥹❤️🎂🥹❤️🎂🥹(and yes I know I used the same video last year but I might use it every year forever! It’s just too adorable)."