Fuller House: Why John Stamos Is To Blame For The Olsen Twins’ Absence (2024)

John Stamos is partly to blame for the Olsen Twins Fuller House absence, due to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's decision to pass on the reunion project in 2016. Netflix released the spin-off sequel to the beloved '80s/'90s family sitcom, Full House, with the main cast all returning — except the Olsen twins in their shared role as Michelle. The youngest Tanner sister was nowhere to be found after Fuller House failed to convince the Olsen twins to join the show. Instead, Kimmy — the Tanners' long-time neighbor — became a lead character in the sequel, effectively taking over Michelle's would-be spot.

Fuller House explained the absence of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen by revealing Michelle was now based in New York running a fashion empire. Michelle was a major draw in the original Full House, and not seeing Danny's youngest daughter throughout Fuller House's five-year run was definitely disappointing. Although the show reportedly tried to convince the Olsen twins to return in Fuller House, the consensus was that the Olsen twins had retired. However, they could've been persuaded to join had the creatives behind Fuller House approached them differently.

Why The Olsen Twins Didn't Appear In Fuller House

An Impersonal Invitation Meant Michelle Didn't Return

Since appearing in Full House and several movies, the Olsen twins have stepped away from acting to focus on fashion design and business. It makes sense that they wouldn't have jumped right into Fuller House, a spin-off series of a show they starred in as children. That said, Mary-Kate was willing to discuss being in Fuller House, with the possibility that Ashley could be as well.

However, the Olsen twins were never personally approached by their old friends or co-stars about returning to play Michelle in Fuller House. Instead, they received what must have felt like a rather sterile offer to join Fuller House through their agent. Unsurprisingly, an impersonal invitation like this wasn't enough to result in the semi-retired Olsen twins Fuller House reunion.

John Stamos Is To Blame For The Olsen Twins Not Appearing In Fuller House

The Star And Producer Of Fuller House Admitted He Was At Fault

In an interview with THR, John Stamos, who also produced Fuller House, admitted that instead of going through the Olsen twins' agent for official talks, he should've reached out to them personally. Additionally, it would've prevented their public conflict after Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen claimed that they were never asked to do Fuller House. Eventually, Stamos got hold of Mary-Kate, who was considering the possibility of partaking, but she wanted him to also reach out to Ashley as well, who was more hesitant about the idea. Unfortunately, he didn't seize the opportunity and everything fell apart, with the Olsen Twins Fuller House casting never happening.

Of course, there's no guarantee that Stamos reaching out to Ashley would've resulted in the Olsen twins' decision to join Fuller House. Even if they did agree, other factors such as scheduling could have prevented them from appearing. That being said, it's reasonable to think that Stamos directly talking to the Olsen twins before Fuller House premiered could have made a big difference. However, if Stamos or anyone from the cast and crew of Fuller House attempted to reach out to Mary-Kate and Ashley again after Fuller House season 1, it would be understandable if the Olsen twins had lost interest.

Critics' reviews were mixed, despite Fuller House being an instant hit on Netflix. Additionally, the few meta-jokes about Michelle in Fuller House were done in poor taste. The main Full House cast continues to claim they have nothing but love for Mary-Kate and Ashley, and they're disappointed that the Olsen Twins Fuller House reunion couldn't happen. Knowing about what really happened behind the scenes according to John Stamos, there could've been a way for either one or both of them to be in the sequel. It's a little bit unfair that Michelle's absence was blamed on the Olsen twins.

John Stamos Once Tried To Get The Olsen Twins Fired On Full House

Stamos And The Olsen Twins Have A Strange Professional History

This wasn't the first time that John Stamos caused the Olsen Twins to not appear in the franchise. In the very beginning, Stamos tried to get the Olsen Twins fired from Full House, while they were only 11 months old. Stamos said that this was early in the show and Stamos was trying to work with the children. He said the two kids were screaming and crying, and it was almost like the two kept switching on and off which was one crying next. He said the kids acted like they wanted to be anywhere but there, and so did he.

"I couldn’t deal with it. And I said, ‘This is not gonna work,’ and I screamed it 10 times. I said, ‘Get rid of them, I can’t work like this.’ And so they got rid of them."

This led to the producers hiring two other twins. Stamos said the new kids were red-haired kids. He then went on to say they were not attractive children, and he knew that they made a mistake, and he wanted to bring back the Olsen Twins. "It was a day or something; we tried the other kids, it didn’t work," Stamos remembered, and they brought back the Olsen Twins. Years later, producers tried to fire Ashley Olsen and only keep Mary-Kate, but Stamos stepped in and stopped that instantly. It appears that, even though John Stamos couldn't secure the Olsen Twins Fuller House appearance, they are still on good terms.

What Else John Stamos Had To Say About The Olsen Twins

John Stamos Revealed More Key Details In His Memoir

While the John Stamos Olsen Twins drama happened decades ago, the Full House actor has since revealed more about what happened and his thoughts on his co-stars. In 2023, Stamos released his memoir, titled "If You Would Have Told Me: A Memoir." Stamos made several candid revelations about life at the height of his celebrity while Full House was still on the air, and also disclosed some of his thoughts about his younger co-stars.

The Full House star revealed that he suffered from many insecurities when he first started working on the show. It wasn't only the Olsen Twins who he felt threatened by, as co-star Jodie Sweetin also made him nervous about being upstaged. When it came to the Olsens, Stamos revealed that a key issue came when the twins kept crying during filming:

"I’m trying to get through a scene, and the cutesy twins are crying their heads off. They’d rather be anywhere in the world other than that set, and I’m right there with them."

However, the friction wasn't to last. Stamos went on to recall that, following trying to get the twins fired and then asking for them to return, he went out of his way to form a closer bond. He even took the twins to Disneyland, and the chemistry they developed led to more scenes with Stamos and the Olsen Twins being worked into Full House. Sadly though, their repaired relationship wasn't enough for the twins to make a Fuller House appearance.

Fuller House

TV-G

Comedy

Family

Set years after the events of the original television series, Fuller House returns to the Tanner home where it all started, now following a grown-up D.J. Tanner-Fuller. Along with her three daughters, sister, and best friend, the group lives together in their childhood home in San Francisco, California with D.J. and Stephanie's father, Danny. The makeshift family works together to raise their family members and explores similar themes present in the first series.

Release Date

February 26, 2016

Cast

Jodie Sweetin , Juan Pablo Di Pace , Elias Harger , Adam Hagenbuch , Candace Cameron Bure , Fox Messitt , Michael Campion , John Brotherton , Dashiell Messitt , Andrea Barber , Scott Weinger , Soni Bringas

Seasons

5

Writers

Jeff Franklin

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix

Franchise(s)

Full House