Ten lesser-known facts about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who began as Michelle Tanner on the hit sitcom Full House, built a multimillion-dollar empire in the early 2000s before leaving acting to become famous fashion designers. They also skipped the 2016 Fuller House reunion on Netflix, saying they no longer felt like actors and preferred to leave that chapter behind.

The twins were cast in Full House at just six months old and started filming at nine months, initially needing only to avoid crying on camera. Although they looked identical to audiences, they are actually fraternal twins, with small differences, Ashley is a few centimeters taller, and Mary-Kate is left-handed while Ashley is right-handed. In the early years of the show, the production also hid the fact that Michelle was played by two children by listing the credit as a single name, "Mary-Kate Ashley Olsen."

Their business success began early: at age 7 they founded Dualstar, which made them the youngest self-made millionaires in America. Through that company they produced films, children’s tapes, books, video games and clothing lines. The article also notes that because they lost baby teeth at different times during filming, they wore tiny false teeth so Michelle’s smile would stay consistent from scene to scene.

Their final film together was New York Minute in 2004, when they were 18. Ashley later quit acting entirely, while Mary-Kate took a few smaller roles, including in Weeds and Beastly, before ending her Hollywood career in 2011. Afterward, they focused on fashion and launched The Row in 2006, named after London’s Savile Row, winning multiple CFDA Designer of the Year awards. The pair remain intensely private, with no official Instagram, TikTok or Twitter accounts, and they rarely appear publicly except at events like the Met Gala. The article closes by noting that their younger sister Elizabeth Olsen has since become a major star in her own right.