--- title: Fuller House: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's Absence Explained description: One member of the Tanner brood will be conspicuously missing. canonical: https://time.com/4169471/mary-kate-ashley-olsen-fuller-house-absence-explained/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-06T17:49:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:28:22.880Z og:title: Here's Why Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Won't Be Back for Fuller House og:description: They don't consider themselves actresses anymore og:url: https://time.com/4169471/mary-kate-ashley-olsen-fuller-house-absence-explained/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltda4fd3dedaa35785/698877d3a988caa6106b5f9d/olsen-twins-fuller-house.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Dw by Kanye West: Front Row - Paris Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2012 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's Why Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Won't Be Back for Fuller House twitter:description: They don't consider themselves actresses anymore twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltda4fd3dedaa35785/698877d3a988caa6106b5f9d/olsen-twins-fuller-house.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's Why Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Won't Be Back for _Fuller House_ > Sponsored content. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 6, 2016 5:49 PM UTC  Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen attend the Dw by Kanye West Ready to Wear Spring / Summer 2012 show during Paris Fashion Week at Lycee Henri IV on October 1, 2011 in Paris, France. Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen attend the Dw by Kanye West Ready to Wear Spring / Summer 2012 show during Paris Fashion Week at Lycee Henri IV on October 1, 2011 in Paris, France. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 6, 2016 5:49 PM UTC You miss your old familar friends, but waiting just around the bend…there’s the Feb. 26 premiere of [Fuller House](http://time.com/4153286/watchtrailer-fuller-house-release-date/). The cast of the beloved ’90s sitcom will be back together for 13 episodes — although one member of the Tanner brood will be [conspicuously absent](http://time.com/3895026/full-house-revival-fuller-olsen-twins/). Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who shared the role of Michelle in the original _Full House_, announced in May that they would not be returning for the spin-off. But as disappointing as it is that the youngest Tanner sister won’t be around to utter her signature [catchphrases](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ff6ghp7iTA), it’s nice to know the reasons behind the Olsen twins’ decision. Number one on the list: they no longer consider themselves actresses. Mary-Kate and Ashley [grew up as child stars](http://time.com/3988305/full-house-john-stamos-olsen-twins/), but they haven’t appeared on screen since 2010. “Ashley said, ‘I have not been in front of a camera since I was 17 and I don’t feel comfortable acting,'” executive producer Bob Boyett told [PEOPLE](http://www.people.com/article/fuller-house-mary-kate-ashley-olsen-missing-john-stamos-dave-coulier). “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.'” **Read More:** [The Olsen Twins Aren’t Returning for the _Full House_ Revival](http://time.com/3895026/full-house-revival-fuller-olsen-twins/) As an added factor, the 29-year-old twins have also turned to the fashion world and production conflicted with the design schedule for their two lines, The Row and Elizabeth and James. “Lori \[Loughlin\] was talking to me about the twins and said, ‘They just won a CFDA award,'” [John Stamos](http://time.com/3895097/john-stamos-heartbroken-olsen-twins-fuller-house/), who plays Uncle Jesse, said. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s like winning an Oscar.’ It was them and Tom Ford. I get where they’re at.” So how will Michelle’s absence be explained in the show? 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