Inside the Olsen twins' journey from heartbreaking divorce to whopping net worth

For any child of the 90s, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were a staple of some of the best films of the era, with the likes of New York Minute and Passport to Paris defining a generation of pre-teens.

Enjoying prolific acting careers even before they could walk, they appeared in tens of TV shows and films, only to suddenly retire from performing in their twenties.

Since their retirement, the Olsen sisters have gone on to redefine themselves as fashion pioneers, their brand The Row becoming an empire of its own.

This week, the famous twin sisters turn 35, celebrating the midway point of their 30s together in their home city of New York.

Marking their birthdays, Daily Star has taken a look at the Olsen sisters’ journey, from their hardworking beginnings to their high-profile love lives.

Child star fame

With one older brother named Trent, the sisters were born in California in 1986 and were cast in their first acting role at the age of just six months old.

They played Michelle Tanner in the hit sitcom Full House, using their identical appearances to take turns to play the character, complying with laws that governed how long a child actor may work.

The sisters continued to play Michelle until the show came to an end in 1995 – the same year their parents, Dave and Jarnie, divorced.

Dave and Jarnie also welcomed another little girl, named Elizabeth, who went on to follow in her sisters’ footsteps in becoming a Hollywood actress.

Full House helped to secure the twins’ status as accomplished child stars, eventually leading to their feature film debut in It Takes Two.

Three years later, they starred in the hit sitcom Two of a Kind, playing twin daughters to a widowed father, portrayed by Christopher Sieber.

Their small screen acclaim led to a string of hugely successful films, from Billboard Dad to Passport to Paris.

The sisters’ talent didn’t go unrecognised – Mary-Kate scooped up a Daytime Emmy Award for her role in their teen series So Little Time.

With their screen careers came an empire of merchandise – the sisters’ released a series of books and launched “Mary-Kate & Ashley’s Fun Club” which offered fans collectables and photos.

Their signature style lent itself to everything from clothes and shoes to Mary-Kate and Ashley fashion dolls, monetising their status as icons amongst the pre-teens of the world.

Speaking about rising to fame at such an early age, Mary-Kate told Marie Claire in 2010 that she “wouldn’t wish my upbringing on anybody.”

“I look at old pictures of me, and I don’t feel connected to them at all,” she explained, “But I wouldn’t take it back for the world.”

Retirement

When they turned 25, the sisters appeared to announce they were turning away from the world of acting, instead focusing their attention on their business endeavours.

The sisters explained their interest in fashion was where their futures lay, telling fans they had no plans to act again.

“It was time to step behind the process,” Ashley told Elle in 2012.

“I wanted to work on other things. It doesn’t mean I’m not interested in Hollywood. I like the way it operates, I like the people who are involved and the sense of possibility. But if I ever get back in, it’s not going to be as an actress.”

Mary-Kate agreed, adding, “It just felt right to move away.”

The following year, the sisters touched on the subject again during an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, explaining acting was never their core passion.

“With what we were doing in business when we were younger, I don’t think it ever felt like we were actresses,” Mary-Kate said. “Because we spend so much more of our time not in front of the cameras, building a brand.”

Ashley added: “I always looked at myself, even as a kid, as a businesswoman.”

Fashion career

After a childhood spent inspiring the wardrobes of teens across the globe, Mary-Kate and Ashley decided to use their platform to launch a brand of their own.

The Row first came about in 2005 when Ashley challenged herself to design her ideal T-shirt, testing her first samples on a number of women to establish a cohesive “fit and attitude” in the design.

One year later, and The Row launched their first-ever collection, featuring seven ready-to-wear garments.

Mary-Kate and Ashley were determined for the brand to succeed on its own terms, and refused to give any interviews for the first three years of its inception.

Though the label launched in New York, the sisters went on to open offices in Paris and Los Angeles, eventually branching out and conceptualising a menswear line in 2011.

Today, their wares are stocked in almost 140 countries across the globe, with the twins winning a range of esteemed awards from Womenswear Designer of the Year to Innovator of the Year.

Speaking about how their childhood influenced their design know-how, Ashley told Vogue in 2011: “We had a collection with Walmart at twelve, which was the upper tier of the tween market. It was before celebrity designers.”

“And we were really designing it,” added Mary-Kate. “It would be jeans, a bit bohemian, or with a little blazer. It was really fashion-forward.”

Romances and divorce

After a childhood spent in the spotlight, Mary-Kate and Ashley have tried to keep their love lives as under wraps as possible, determined to maintain a sense of privacy.

Mary-Kate previously dated David Katzenberg, whose father was one of the founders of DreamWorks, but they called their relationship off in 2004.

She went on to strike up romances with photographer Maxwell Snow and artist Nate Lowman, though both relationships fizzled out.

Speculation of a secret engagement emerged in 2014 when Mary-Kate was spotted wearing a ring on her left hand, having been dating Olivier Sarkozy for two years.

Mary-Kate married Olivier, who is the half-brother of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the following year at an intimate ceremony in New York.

Sadly, it didn’t work out between them and Mary-Kate filed for divorce in 2020, with the divorce proceedings finalised in January of this year.

Meanwhile, Ashley has been in a relationship with artist Louis Eisner – who works through the medium of paint – since 2017, with the pair occasionally spotted on dates together around Manhattan.

Net worth

Having been working hard since they were babies, it’s no surprise the identical twin sisters have amassed quite a fortune over the past 35 years.

According to People, they started earning $2,400 (around £1,694) per episode on Full House, before raking in a sensational $80,000 (around £56,490) per episode as the show’s popularity rose.

In 2007, Forbes estimated the duo had a combined net worth of $100 million, adding them to their Richest Women in Entertainment list.

The launch of their fashion line The Row in 2006 led to a great fortune, with Business of Fashion reporting the brand takes in between $100 million and $200 million a year in sales.

According to Cosmopolitan, following Mary-Kate’s divorce from Olivier earlier this year, the twins’ net worth is estimated to be $250 million each, or $500 million combined.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk