Where are the Olsen twins now?
When they were child stars on Full House, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were the twinkle in Hollywood’s eye. At just six months old, they shared the role of Michelle Tanner on the ABC sitcom and stole the hearts of audiences all around the globe, soaring into stardom forever. But after the show ended in 1995, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen silently retired from the entertainment world and went off to college.
Since then they’ve developed a pretty low-key reputation and have actively maintained a no-social-media status for years. But due to the recent passing of their beloved Full House on-screen father, Bob Saget, fans of the show are wondering: what have the Olsen twins been up to?
Ever the businesswomen at heart
When Full House neared its end in 1993, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen created an entertainment company called Dualstar, where all of their direct-to DVD films were produced, including Our Lips Are Sealed, Passport To Paris, and How the West Was Fun. In one interview, the twins said that even during their time in front of the camera, they spent equally the same amount of time behind the camera building a brand for themselves, so in a way, they always felt like businesswomen.
Which explains why in 2006, the two sisters shed their on-screen personas and went on to create the now-successful luxury fashion line The Row, whose mission is to inspire women and challenge fashion norms. The twins initially wanted their famous last names to be hidden from the brand and even chose not to give an interview for almost three years after the brand’s birth because, as they say, they wanted the clothes to speak for themselves. Now, 15 years later, we think they succeeded.
Sayonara Hollywood forever?
One of their biggest reasons for leaving Hollywood was because, in contrast to other industries where you have creative control and can make your own decisions about work, in entertainment, it’s all set up by other people and out of your hands. So while acting might be off-limits forever, that doesn’t mean we won’t see the Olsens return for some behind-the-camera roles.
This is most likely why we never saw them return for the reboot of Fuller House, unlike almost every other cast member, including Bob Saget. That didn’t stop the twins from offering their deepest condolences to the Saget family for the sudden and incredibly saddening loss of their former on-screen father. While speaking to People, they said:
“Bob was the most loving, compassionate and generous man. We are deeply saddened that he is no longer with us but know that he will continue to be by our side to guide us as gracefully as he always has,” said Mary-Kate and Ashley. “We are thinking of his daughters, wife and family and are sending our condolences.”
What are they up to now?
Three decades since their days in Full House, the actresses-turned-adult-designers still live incredibly private lives. Both Mary-Kate and Ashley have zero social media presence and are often only spotted from time to time at red carpet events and the annual Met Gala, which sees some of the biggest names in fashion and entertainment come together for a red carpet extravaganza.
Mary-Kate married Olivier Sarkozy in 2015 but the two filed for divorce in May 2020, right at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley is still dating 33-year-old artist Louis Eisner and seems to be going strong.
Even though Mary-Kate and Ashley have departed the entertainment scene, their last name is still making its rounds through the proverbial blacktop. Their younger sister, Elizabeth Olsen, who many now know as Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a thriving Hollywood star. Like her sisters, Elizabeth’s life is much more private than most celebrities. She currently has no social media presence and appears only at red-carpet events, premieres, and interviews. Like her sisters, Elizabeth initially toyed with the idea of using a different last name to disassociate herself with favoritism. But at this point, her talent has spoken for itself with or without her famous moniker. I mean, have you seen WandaVision?
What can we expect from Mary-Kate and Ashley in the coming years? It’s hard to tell, given how private they are with their lives. We only hope that they’ll resurface in the public eye if and when they’re ready to. Until then, we can surely find them killing the fashion industry game and maintaining that no-social-media status.
