John Stamos had a lot of fun with his Chef Louis portrayal in Little Mermaid Live. According to some viewers, he might have had too much fun in the role thanks to one ad-libbed joke. At the end of his “Les Poissons” performance, Stamos quipped, “I knew I should have played Prince Albert” before correcting himself to add the correct name of Ariel’s love interest, Prince Eric. While it sounds like it could have been a simple mix-up, some viewers have wondered whether the “Prince Albert” mention was actually a reference to a fairly NSFW practice.
As many users pointed out on Twitter, the use of the phrase “Prince Albert” isn’t nearly as innocent as it may seem. According to Urban Dictionary, the term signifies a genital piercing, which doesn’t exactly make it a fitting phrase to use in a live-action Disney production. On Twitter, viewers voiced their shock, confusion, and amusement over the flub. One user said, in reference to Stamos’ ad-libbed moment, “I almost thought he was talking about the piercing.” Another wrote, “Pretty sure John Stamos threw in a genital piercing “Prince Albert” reference lol.”
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This fan was taken aback by the comment, writing, “John Stamos weird Prince Albert shout-out……. Uhhhh this supposed to be for kids!!!!” One fan wondered, “Does John Stamos know what a “Prince Albert” piercing is???” Yet another said that it may have been a Freudian slip, writing, And what was that @JohnStamos said on #TheLittleMermaidLive about wanting a “Prince Albert”?”
Did I hear “Prince Albert”…like, the piercing…? Oh John. His name is Eric! #TheLittleMermaidLive pic.twitter.com/qjPdPXbfeW
— DeEtta! (@DeeisforDaDamn) November 6, 2019
It’s unclear if Stamos’ “Prince Albert” mention was intentional or not. It very well could have been a slip-up, with the actor meaning to say the actual name of the prince in the Disney production. In any case, it was definitely wonky mention.
Even though he may have caused a bit of a stir in his Chef Louis role, Stamos is actually a pro at this point when it comes to live performances of The Little Mermaid. The Full House star previously portrayed the chef during a live production of the Disney film in the Hollywood Bowl in 2016. In an interview with Playbill.com, he described exactly what he loved about the eccentric character. “What’s great playing this character is that he can flip at any moment; one second he loves the fish, the next he’s going to murder them,” Stamos said. “He’s like a Sweeney Todd character in that way.”
If he portrays Chef Louis in another Little Mermaid fare, he might just want to stay away from mentioning any princely ideas.
