‘Fuller House’: Olsen Twins Not Invited Back for Final Season

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen had one last chance to be on Fuller House and missed the opportunity. In fact, Candace Cameron Bure said producers did not even ask them about being in the last season because they knew the answer. The twins, who both played Michelle Tanner on Full House, were the only original cast members who never appeared on the Netflix sequel.

“We did not reach out to them,” Bure told TVLine after production wrapped on the series last month. “It was very clear several seasons ago that they did not want to do it.”

Although the twins did not appear on the series physically, there were references to Michelle. In the Season 5 premiere, the children of D.J. (Bure) and Kimmy (Andrea Barber) were in the attic when Max (Elias Harger) discovered eight years of Tanner family history chronicled on tape. The tapes end when “Aunt Michelle got amnesia” after falling off her horse.

During the mid-season finale, Danny (Bob Sagat) congratulated D.J., Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and Kimmy on their engagements. “You know, it’s so nice to have three daughters again,” D.J. and Stephanie’s father joked.

During Fuller House‘s entire run, the cast and crew were constantly asked about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen making appearances on the show. It got to the point that Bure sounded almost frustrated when PEOPLE Now asked her about it earlier this month.

“No, I’ve been telling you about this since Season 1,” Bure told the show’s hosts, who reminded her that fans are still hopeful the twins would return.

“I know… You guys can hang on,” Bure said. “Have hope! I know the answer… I’ve given up. I mean, it’s not even ‘given up.’ I’ve just let that go awhile ago.”

Full House creator Jeff Franklin, who was later fired from Fuller House for alleged inappropriate workplace behavior, told Us Weekly he already stopped asking the Olsen twins in 2017.

“But when somebody rings a doorbell, the girls yell, ‘It’s always open!’ on the show so that’s kind of how we feel about the Olsen twins,” Franklin said. “The door is open. … But I think we’ve gotten enough no’s. We’re kind of done asking. But who knows? You never know in life. Who thought this whole thing could happen?”

The Olsens have remained busy with their fashion labels and have shown no interest in returning to acting. Ashley Olsen has not acted since 2004’s New York Minute, the last movie to see the twins acting together. Mary-Kate Olsen last acted in the 2011 movie Beastly. However, their younger sister Elizabeth Olsen is an acclaimed actress and plays Scarlet Witch in the Marvel movies.

The first nine episodes of Fuller House‘s final season are now available on Netflix. The last nine will be released in 2020.

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