The Olsen Twins Turn 40, Still Private and Still Building Their Fashion Empire
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who turned 40, have spent four decades in the public eye, first as the infant Michelle Tanner on "Full House" from 1987 to 1995 and later as teen stars in films and TV shows such as "It Takes Two," "Passport to Paris," and "New York Minute." Born in Los Angeles to Dave and Jarnette Olsen, they are siblings of Trent and actress Elizabeth Olsen.
Even at the height of their acting fame, the twins say they felt pulled toward something else. In interviews from 2013 and 2021, they said they left Hollywood because they wanted creative control, did not want to be constantly chased by paparazzi, and no longer wanted to live in the spotlight. Ashley said they did not want to be the faces of their own brand, and Mary-Kate said she felt relief at stepping away from the endless pursuit in Los Angeles.
That decision led to a highly successful fashion business. In 2006, they launched The Row, and in 2007 added Elizabeth and James, named after their parents. What began with Ashley's search for the perfect T-shirt became a luxury label now estimated to be worth billions of dollars and to generate about $100 million to $200 million in annual sales. The twins have long said one sister handles finance and the other the creative side, and both were deeply involved in fittings and design from childhood, including on "Two of a Kind."
The article also revisits the costs of fame. In 2004, shortly after turning 18, Mary-Kate entered treatment for an eating disorder amid intense public scrutiny, concern from her family, and a car accident. She later described looking at herself and thinking, "Why are you so beautiful and I am so ugly?" Mary-Kate married Olivier Sarkozy in 2015, filed for divorce in May 2020, and reportedly moved in with Ashley in the Hamptons during the separation. The split was linked in reports to Mary-Kate's wish to have children and Sarkozy's refusal. Ashley married artist Louis Eisner in December 2022 in a private 50-guest ceremony in Bel Air, and they had a son, Otto, in August 2023. Together, the sisters are said to have a combined net worth of about $1 billion.
