John Stamos Admits He Was 'Angry' About Olsen Twins Not Doing ‘Fuller House’ But Is Now ‘Very Close’ With Them

Jun 01, 2023

John Stamos has been a household name since the early 1980s when he rose to fame in the role of Blackie Parrish on "General Hospital." More TV work eventually led him to his most iconic role as Uncle Jesse on "Full House," and this only cemented his status as a handsome hunk of his time. The last few decades have seen the actor continue to work in television and even reprise his role in the reboot, "Fuller House."

In the original "Full House" series, the story follows widower Danny Tanner, played by Bob Saget, as he enlisted the help of his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis, portrayed by Stamos, and friend Joey Gladstone, played by Dave Coulier, in raising his three daughters. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were only nine months old when they played Danny's youngest daughter Michelle in the original series. 

The reboot took place in 2016, and most of the cast was able to reprise their roles again, with the exception of the Olsen twins. Fans were naturally disappointed that one of the original integral characters would not be returning for the reboot, but the show went on and achieved success nonetheless for the four seasons it ran. 

Screen Rant reported in May 2021 that Stamos might have been to blame for the twins not being featured in "Fuller House," and caused a controversy. Stamos finally spoke out about these reports as he was promoting his new true-crime podcast "The Grand Scheme: Snatching Sinatra," and Insider reported that he believed the Olsen twins' decision to not return to the series was "blown out of proportion." 

However, Stamos reconnected with the famous twins later on.

Screen Rant reported that "Fuller House" producers failed to convince the Olsen twins to join the show, and that the show explained their character, Michelle's absence by revealing that the youngest sister was now based in New York running a fashion empire, mirroring Mary-Kate and Ashley's current career as well.

However, the controversy surrounding their absence came from the fact that there were contradicting reports about whether the twins would actually return to "Fuller House" in 2016. They did not return in the end— although the show reportedly attempted to convince them to make an appearance in the second and third seasons. The understanding for their refusal to return was that the Olsens had long retired from acting and were not interested in returning to the industry for the spin-off show.

Later though, reports surfaced that Mary-Kate almost said yes to an appearance and that the twins could have been persuaded to appear on the show had the producers approached them differently. Stamos, who also produced the sitcom, admitted to the Hollywood Reporter that instead of going through their agent for official talks, he should've just reached out to them personally.

Stamos was able to reach Mary-Kate, who was considering taking part, but then Mary-Kate asked him to also reach out to Ashley. Screen Rant reported that Stamos "didn't seize the opportunity and everything fell apart." Many fans also blamed the actor for not being more proactive, but there is no telling if the Olsen twins would have ended up being on the show regardless.

Stamos explained the situation:

“In retrospect, I should have called them and talked to them, I guess … We love each other, but we’re not in contact — I mean, I didn’t have a phone number on them. I’d see them in New York once in a while and it was always very sweet. But that didn’t happen, so I think they sort of said, ‘Nobody asked us.’”

The Olsens told him they didn’t have agents at the time. “I sort of had a knee-jerk reaction to that,” Stamos said. He added, “... they just said it wasn’t really in the cards for them at that moment, they hadn’t acted in a long time.”

Addressing the controversy, Stamos spoke out about it on his new true-crime podcast, "The Grand Scheme: Snatching Sinatra."

On the podcast, he said that "it's remarkable" what Mary-Kate and Ashley have done since their time on "Full House" ended and added that he was "proud" of them. 

Speaking to Insider, Stamos said, "I remember trying to get them on 'Fuller House' and they didn't want to come in or there was some miscommunication, or whatever it was — it was blown out of proportion."

Stamos added that he was told by Lori Loughlin, who played his on-screen wife Becky, that the Olsen twins had won several Council of Fashion Designers of America awards around the time conversations about the reboot had begun. About this, he said, "That's like winning an Oscar. It's like 'Oh okay, that makes sense.’”

Stamos had nothing but praise for Mary-Kate and Ashley as he continued, "It's really inspiring. It's just strange to think of them as those little kids. Now they're such smart, powerful, important women. And they were smart, powerful, important kids too, but it's just great to see."

The Olsen twins have been extremely successful in their lives since leaving behind their on-screen careers. At the time of their reboot, both were very busy running their fashion label The Row, as well as their second clothing brand, Elizabeth & James, which is named after their siblings. Moreover, both twins told i-D Magazine in June 2021 in a rare interview that despite their major fame at a young age, they were raised to be "discreet people." 

It is likely that Stamos was correct in saying that fans' reaction to the twins not appearing on "Fuller House" was blown out of proportion. 

While it was once difficult to see the Olsen twins’ perspective on not joining the show’s reboot, Stamos and the “Full House” cast also endured another hardship: the death of Bob Saget. Saget passed away in January 2022, leaving many fans, family members and friends of the star heartbroken.

Stamos talked about the silver lining of his former co-star’s death in relation to Mary-Kate and Ashley, and said:

“The twins moved to New York. And I gotta tell you, one of the only good things to come out of Bob’s (death) Well… Mary-Kate and Ashley, we didn’t see them much. I mean, we stayed in touch a little bit, but Bob really did. And they were so great. You hear rumors, ‘Oh, they hated their childhood, or they hated being on the show or whatever.’ When I did Fuller House, they didn’t wanna come back. And I was angry for a minute, and that got out.”

The Olsens visited Stamos at his home and brought him food, saying, “We loved our childhood. We loved being with you.” Stamos said it was a “really nice” gesture, and they “stayed very close.”

Do you think that the reaction toward the Olsen twins not appearing in "Fuller House" was blown out of proportion by fans? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to pass this along to your friends as well.