John Stamos has commented on the Fuller House controversy regarding the Olsen twins' absence from the show, stating that it was blown out of proportion. Full House was a popular American sitcom that ran on ABC from 1987 - 1995. The series followed widower Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) as he enlisted the help of his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos) and friend Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) in raising his three daughters. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen portrayed Tanner's youngest daughter Michelle, a role that would propel them into child stardom.
The controversy began when Netflix rebooted the series with Fuller House in 2016 and welcomed back most of the original cast, with the exception of the Olsen twins. The twins had been invited back, and Mary-Kate almost returned as Michelle, but they ultimately declined. Ashley was quite opposed to the idea of returning to acting, neither of the twins had acted in years, and both were very busy running their fashion label The Row. The decision wasn't necessarily surprising, but it was disappointing for fans who held out hope that the twins might make at least a brief appearance on the series.
As reported by Insider, Stamos commented on the Olsen twins' absence from Fuller House and said it was blown out of proportion. He thinks viewers don't recognize the amazing work that the Olsen twins have gone on to do since Full House. He praised them for being "smart, powerful, important women" and for the success of their fashion line. He briefly mentioned the occurrence of a miscommunication regarding their Fuller House return, but believes that viewers made too big a deal out of the whole thing. Check out his statement below:
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. It's remarkable [what Mary-Kate and Ashley have done since "Full House"]. 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.
Stamos also mentioned how he learned that the Olsen twins had won several Council of Fashion Designers of America awards and how he equates those to winning an Oscar. Essentially, their Fuller House absence is fairly minor in the face of their prestigious awards and fashion line. The miscommunication he mentioned might have been referring to the fact that some viewers blame Stamos for the Olsen twins' Fuller House absence. Stamos previously admitted that he took the wrong approach to get the twins on board and failed to reach out to Ashley, who needed a bit more convincing. However, it seems those were minor details and that the truth behind the Olsen twins' absence was quite self-explanatory considering their success post-Full House.
In addition to the Olsen twins' success in the fashion industry, the two have also chosen to live a much more discreet lifestyle. They began starring in Full House when they were just several months old and spent their childhood in the spotlight; thus, they decided as adults to try out a more discreet and private lifestyle. Stamos is likely correct that their absence from Fuller House was blown out of proportion and that, while slightly disappointing, their decision was wholly understandable. They are far from the only child actors to quit acting later in life. iCarly's Jennette McCurdy declined to reprise her role in the iCarly reboot, while other child stars from Shirley Temple to Angus T. Jones have found passions outside of the acting industry in adulthood. Overall, the Olsen twins appear to have found passion and success without Fuller House, and they certainly deserve their current private lifestyle after growing up on television.
Source: Insider