Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images ByMoná Thomas/May 15, 2020 11:02 am EST
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen practically started making money from the womb. Well, it was more like from 6-months-old, but close enough. The blonde babies were placed in front of the cameras on the award-winning ABC '90s sitcom Full House. They both played the youngest member of the Tanner family, Michelle Tanner.
It didn't take long for the world to become infatuated with the adorable "You got it, dude!" duo. The twins springboarded into a life of fame, cameras, and lights. The New York City child stars were natural-born moneymakers and quickly expanded their talents, producing light-hearted movies, shows, and music through their teenage years. It seemed there was not a corner of the entertainment market that Mary-Kate and Ashley hadn't conquered. However, they didn't stay in front of the camera for long.
The Olsen sisters stepped into other profitable industries that would ultimately solidify their multi-billion dollar fortune — and pave the way for a career of the screen. Here's the real reason the Olsen twins stopped acting.
The Olsen twins made their first million by age 10
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The Michelle Tanner character on Full House became a household name quickly and appeared in eight successful and award-winning seasons between 1989 and 1995.According to Aol Entertainment, it only took two years for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen to create and co-own their first production company, Dualstar Entertainment Group, with the help of their manager, Robert Thorne.
Dualstar gave the Olsens complete in-house control of their forthcoming 1994 show, The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley. The mystery, crime-solving series helped the twins create a brand that soon included a slew of dolls, toys, games, and children's books covered with their toothy smiles. The child stars continued to grow their fan base, creating and starring in ten movies including Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble; It Takes Two, and the internationally-themed Passport to Paris. At the age of 17, the Olsens produced and starred in their final movie, New York Minute.
According to theTelegraph, Mary-Kate and Ashey Olsen became the youngest self-made millionaires in American history at age 10.
The Olsen twins fashioned lucrative careers in another industry
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Though Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen stepped away from twin-themed movies, they continued to collaborate on other endeavors. In 2004, the Olsens reportedlybegan attending New York University, but Mary-Kate quit a year later. "I need to be able to go to yoga and work out and just read scripts and go on auditions, because that's what makes me happy. You know? Like, papers don't really make me happy," Mary-Kate told W Magazine.
In 2006, the Olsens launched a fashion line called The Row — a small and affordable beginner line that was released in Wal-Mart and J.C Penny stores across the United States.The idea reportedly came from Ashley, who was simply looking for the perfect t-shirt. If you can't find it, create it, right? Ashley was also the first of the twosome to realize that acting was a figment of her past. At the age of 21, she knew she wanted to focus on the fashion business instead.
"I'd love to be a hundred places at once but I can't be," Ashley said in aTelegraph interview. "I'm a CEO and I can't not be present." Mary-Kate, however, continued to audition for gigs and eventually landed a recurring role on Showtime's Weeds.
Following The Row release, came a seven-piece couture collection with Barneys New York; a modern apparel and accessory line, another fashion line called Elizabeth and James (named after their siblings), and a perfume called Nirvana.WWD reported the new line generated between $40 million and $50 million in 2016.
How much are Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen worth now?
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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have always been and will undoubtedly continue to be household names. While fans may not reminisce about their sitcom days, the twins have fashioned successful careers together while also keeping a firm grip on their individual goals.
The duo was victorious in the entertainment industry, took a step into beauty, and then fully dominated the fashion industry on the first try. The Olsens also won multiple fashion awards, including the highly acclaimed Womenswear Designers of the Year (2012) and Accessory Designers of the Year (2014 and 2018) from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, according to Business of Fashion.
According to theDaily Mail, the sister act had a combined net worth of $500 million at age 33 in 2019. That may come in handy (along with an "ironclad" prenup) during Mary-Kate's very public 2020 divorce from French banker Olivier Sarkozy. Yikes!
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