John Stamos reveals that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen ultimately debunked the biggest rumor about their decision to not return in Fuller House.
Years after Fuller House ended, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen debunk the biggest rumor about why they didn’t return in the Full House spin-off. The twins alternated played Michelle, Danny Tanner’s youngest daughter for eight seasons of the original series. However, while the rest of Full House’s main cast came back to Netflix, they didn’t. There were claims that it was because they didn’t have as much fun doing the original show as their former co-stars.
The Olsens officially debunked this idea when they attended Bob Saget’s funeral, as told by John Stamos on The Howard Stern Show.
Michelle was absent throughout the events of the Full House revival, even during her sisters’ wedding in the Fuller House finale. Despite the swirling rumors at that time, they kept mum, only addressing the issue privately.
They came to Bob’s funeral, and it was so beautiful. They got us all together and said, ‘We love you. We loved our childhood. We’re grateful for you guys. We thank you for making those eight years so beautiful for us. We have such fond memories.’
Why Mary-Kate & Ashley Really Didn’t Return In Fuller House
There were actually conflicting reports about the Olsen Twins’ absence in Fuller House. Stamos supposedly personally reached out to them, but there was never any agreement achieved. There were also rumors that they were considering the idea, but the filming in Los Angeles posed a logistic issue since they lived in New York. Ultimately, it boiled down to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen refusing to reprise their iconic role because they have long moved on from acting. They starred in several more projects after Full House ended, but when they retired, they opted to keep a low profile, even as they spearhead one of the biggest fashion brands in the world.
Netflix’s explanation regarding Michelle’s absence actually made sense. It even honored the Olsens’ real-life job now as fashion moguls in New York. However, it wasn’t a sustainable one. Considering how wealthy she was, it didn’t make sense that she couldn’t come back home for special occasions like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Worse, Michelle didn’t even show up when DJ’s husband died or when Stephanie had her first kid through Kimmy’s surrogacy. Her absence contradicted the very essence of Full House, which was the importance of family.
Still, it’s unfair to fault the Olsens for their decision. The pair has gone to great lengths to protect their privacy, and starring in Fuller House, even just for a cameo, would be counterintuitive to the kind of life that they now lead. If anything, Netflix’s writing could have handled Michelle’s absence better.
