Ever wondered why the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, didn’t come back for the Fuller House reboot? It turns out their early experiences on Full House were far from ideal. They were put into the spotlight at a young age, and things weren’t always smooth. There were tensions with John Stamos and Bob Saget—Saget’s offbeat jokes and Stamos’s apparent lack of enthusiasm didn’t help their situation.
The twins were practically raised by the show rather than by their own family, which must have been incredibly challenging. Despite their early success—they started acting as babies, had a production company before they were even ten, and were Hollywood darlings—they eventually chose to step away from acting.
In this video, we’ll unravel some of the rumors about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, dig into their experiences on Full House, and explore what they’ve been up to since stepping out of the spotlight.
Even before “Fuller House” hit Netflix, there were rumors about tension between Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, and their old castmates. For example, in September 2012, John Stamos posted photos from a “Full House” reunion on Facebook, and the Olsen twins were noticeably missing. This led fans to wonder if there was bad blood between them and the rest of the cast. Earlier that year, the Olsens had announced they were done with acting, saying, “If I ever get into Hollywood, it’s not going to be as an actress,” and in an interview with L UK, they explained it just felt right to step away from the industry.
Even with their decision to leave acting, many felt it would have been fitting for them to show up at the reunion for a show that was a huge part of their careers. However, fans weren’t convinced by their explanation. A few years later, when “Fuller House” was announced, some of their former co-stars, including Lori Loughlin, seemed to take a subtle jab at the Olsens for skipping the reboot.
A lot of the original cast were disappointed that the Olsens weren’t coming back. Their star power could have really helped the show. But given that the Olsens chose to go in a different direction, it’s understandable that they didn’t feel obligated to return for the reboot.
In 2016, Ashley Olsen mentioned, “I haven’t been in front of a camera since I was 17, and I don’t feel comfortable acting.” This struck me as interesting because acting is often compared to riding a bike—something you don’t easily forget. But I wonder if there’s more to it, like past trauma or resentment from dedicating her entire childhood to the industry.
There’s this story about you trying to get Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen fired, which isn’t quite right. The truth is, you didn’t just try; you actually got them fired. They were struggling through every scene, crying, and you felt you couldn’t work with them like that. When the replacements didn’t work out, you asked for the Olsens to come back. You’ve said you care about them a lot, though, and if you were in their place, you might not want to return either, given the negative feelings people might have held against them for their early acting days.
And then there’s Bob Saget. You’ve got a popular video about him on your channel, and it’s been a big hit. It references the Comedy Central Roast from 2008, where comedians joked about Bob’s behavior with the Olsen twins. This led some fans to speculate that the twins had negative feelings about Bob, which might explain why they didn’t come back for “Fuller House.”
It’s really surprising to look back at something I made in 2021—it brings back the strange quiet on set and makes me think about why I put that video together. The reason it’s still being discussed is that the comedy roast in question was shockingly inappropriate. We’re about to watch some clips from it, and you’ll see why Mary-Kate and Ashley want nothing to do with this person.
One of the jokes suggested that Bob Saget drugged the Olsen twins, which is not only offensive but deeply disturbing. He made unsettling comments to Mary-Kate Olsen, like saying, “Take a look at this,” in her dressing room.
Another joke compared Saget to an uncle who not only pays for lunch but also follows you into the men’s room, implying a gross level of invasion. It’s troubling to think that he allegedly made unwanted advances towards the Olsens from when they were children until they were adults.
It’s really uncomfortable to see how these jokes reflect a disturbing attitude towards children in the industry. Despite what the video might suggest, it’s said they stayed friends over the years, though I have serious doubts about that.
When Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen decided not to be part of the Fuller House reboot, Bob Saget was very understanding. He said, “I love them. I want them to be happy. We’re friends. People need to do what they need to do.” After Saget passed away in January 2022, the twins expressed their sadness, noting, “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.” They honored him by attending his funeral, showing just how much he meant to them.
There have been rumors about tension between the twins and John Stamos, particularly since he’s been vocal about their performances when they were toddlers. But considering how young they were, it seems a bit harsh to judge them for that now.
Mary-Kate and Ashley didn’t join the Fuller House sequel, probably because they had moved on to other interests and didn’t receive an offer they felt was right. Lori Loughlin pointed out that with their success, including winning two CFDA Awards, they might not have felt the need to return. They did come to Bob Saget’s funeral, and it was a moving tribute. They shared how much the show and their time with Saget meant to them.
It must be frustrating to be judged and talked about by others when you were so young and still figuring things out. And while the twins have made a name for themselves in fashion with their brand The Row, it’s not been without challenges. In 2015, former interns filed a class action lawsuit claiming they were mistreated, which highlights some of the difficulties behind the scenes.
The fashion world can be incredibly complex, and sometimes it seems like they make things harder than they need to be. For instance, in March 2017, a settlement of $140,000 was reached to address a lawsuit involving interns. By then, around 180 past and present interns had joined the suit, suggesting that the industry might not always be the most supportive place to work if so many people felt the need to take legal action.
The class action suit claimed that about 40 interns were not paid for their work, despite doing jobs usually handled by full-time employees. The lead plaintiff, who interned around 2012, said she was treated poorly and had to perform menial tasks, like running personal errands for staff members, while working for The Row, a brand owned by the Olsen twins. The Olsens’ company told the New York Post they were unaware of the lawsuit and declined to comment on their intern policies.
On a different note, John Stamos was really keen on getting the Olsen twins to join the “Fuller House” reboot. He even reached out to Elizabeth Olsen, their younger sister, to see if she’d consider taking over the role of adult Michelle Tanner. Elizabeth wasn’t interested and found the request a bit odd, saying, “That was weird because it was also like, ‘Leave me out of this; this has nothing to do with me.’”
Despite the buzz about Elizabeth possibly joining the show, she stayed out of the spotlight on the matter. Stamos himself fueled the rumors by mentioning that the show’s creator, Jeff Franklin, had spoken to Elizabeth’s agent about the project, which led to Stamos being questioned about it during press events. His response was, “I don’t know what anyone’s talking about.”
There’s also a quirky rumor about the Olsen twins having a secret hand signal they use to communicate. Some fans have come up with wild theories about what these signals might mean, even suggesting connections to unrelated topics like Iran’s power plant. But it seems these theories are more about fan speculation than actual facts.
It looks like two people are clapping awkwardly, almost like they’re just clapping for themselves. It doesn’t seem like there’s any special hand signal communication going on, but there might be a sweet meaning behind it. According to reports, their hand signals actually have a really heartwarming purpose. The former Full House stars told E! back in 2009 that they have this adorable gesture where they squeeze each other’s hands in a special way: “We’ll squeeze each other’s hands three times, and then the other person will squeeze back four times, like saying ‘I love you too.’” How cute is that? I’m totally going to start doing that with my boyfriend—sounds super sweet!
Since they were famous from such a young age, the twins have developed some discreet ways of communicating. Ashley mentioned in an interview with ID, “We were raised to be private, so our instincts are similar. But being so guarded about their personal lives has also led to a lot of rumors. It’s a bit of a catch-22.”