John Stamos Gets Real About Olsen Twins Absence From ‘Fuller House’

While most of the cast of Full House returned in some capacity for the Netflix reboot Fuller House, which focused on the adult lives of D.J. (Candace Cameron Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and Kimmy (Andrea Barber), Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen did not return in the role of Michelle at all, due to the fact that they had quit acting over a decade earlier and were instead focused on their fashion label, The Row. Michelle’s absence was remarked upon a few times over the series run, with characters making pointed jokes calling out the Olsen twins’ lack of involvement.

While there seemed to be some bitterness, John Stamos put any notion of bad blood to rest. In an interview with Insider promoting his new true-crime podcast The Grand Scheme: Snatching Sinatra, Stamos said that “it’s remarkable” what the Olsens have done since Full House ended, explaining that he was “proud of them.”

“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,” he admitted. He also explained that his onscreen wife, Lori Loughlin, that the Olsens had won numerous awards, including several Council of Fashion Designers of America awards, before talk of the reboot began, proving that they simply didn’t need to return to that phase of their lives. “That’s like winning an Oscar. It’s like ‘Oh okay, that makes sense,’” he said about their decision to focus on their fashion.

Ultimately, Uncle Jesse couldn’t help but be proud of the women who had played his youngest niece. “It’s really inspiring,” he concluded. “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.”

Back when it was first reported that a Full House reboot would be on the way, there was speculation surrounding the Olsen twins’ possible roles in the series. Although, according to PEOPLE, Mary-Kate and Ashley were never going to appear on the show. In an interview with the publication back in 2016, Fuller House producer Bob Boyett said that the producers were told before the show even premiered that the twins would not be a part of the new project. Boyett explained that it simply was not going to work out with the pair, as they haven’t been involved in the acting world since they were teenagers. He explained, “Ashley said, ‘I have not been in front of a camera since I was 17, and I don’t feel comfortable acting.’ Mary-Kate said, ‘It would have to be me because Ash doesn’t want to do it. But the timing is so bad for us.’”