Bitten and Bound » Mary-Kate Olsen

World’s Most Famous Twin Moguls: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

Meg — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:22:21 +0000

Mary-Kate Olsen and her twin sister Ashley Fuller Olsen were born in 1986 and are best known for playing the role of Michelle Tanner on the sitcom Full House. Since then, they have continued their ‘celebrity’ through television, film, interviews and most lucrative of all, commercial endorsements.

The 22-year-old mega millionaires have been on Forbes list yearly since 2002, and in 2007 ranked as the eleventh richest women with a fortune estimated at $100 million. During the 1990’s they cleaned up in the preteen market with clothing, books, fragrances, magazines, movies and posters. Mattel jumped on the bandwagon from 2000-2005 with Mary-Kate and Ashley fashion dolls.

Both young women tried New York University but dropped out without earning degrees. The pair have a clothing line for young girls in Wal-Mart stores and have launched their own fashion lines: The Row and Elizabeth & James. The New York Times declared Mary-Kate a fashion icon for pioneering her signature ‘homeless’ look, aka Bohemian chic. Sister Ashley was called out by PETA on their 2006 Worst Dressed list for wearing fur.

The young women have an older brother Trent and a younger sister Elizabeth. They also have half siblings Taylor and Jake who were born to their father with his second wife. Their parents David Olsen and Jarnette Fuller Olsen divorced in 1995.

Mary-Kate checked into a Utah rehab facility for six weeks in 2004 for treatment of an eating disorder. Rumors of drug use were denied by the Olsens’ publicist who said: “Mary-Kate was not admitted for drugs. Period.”

In 2006, Ashley filed a $40 million lawsuit against National Enquirer for their headline “Ashley Olsen Caught In Drug Scandal”. The publication featured an unflattering photo where the actress had her eyes half closed which the actress claims added to the malicious intent. Her sister Mary-Kate Olsen was also caught up in media hype following the death of Heath Ledger. She repeatedly refused to cooperate with investigators who wanted to question her about the drugs found in his bedroom.

The bottom line is that multi-million dollar status is not a guarantee of a wonderful existence. The young women have been in the spotlight since they were babies. Now that they are in control of their own destiny, they find it challenging to remain on the ‘down low’ in the midst of a media that watches their every move.

Check out our photo gallery below. Click to enlarge.

Check out the Next Young Billionaires here.

Related Articles:

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are Bad Neighbors

Andrea — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:48:46 +0000

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are “disruptive, intrusive and totally disrespectful,” according to neighbors in their West Village neighborhood.

The Olsen twins, who rent two floors of a West 13th brownstone for $12,000 a month, are “two spoiled brats” who “change the character of the neighborhood,” says one resident.

With security guards who have rousted residents of the building from the brownstone’s stoop so the twins could climb the stairs in private and two GMC Denali parked outside with the engines idling for hours at a time “you would think there was a government operation going on,” the resident said.

In a neighborhood inhabited by celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Liv Tyler, Gisele Bundchen and Julianne Moore, who blend in well and are considered good neighbors, the twins are seen as invaders.

“The good news is that it’s only a rental,” said the source, “and we all hope it’s not a long-standing one.”

A rep for the Olsens told Page Six, “If there were significant issues, you would think that the neighbors would address Ashley or Mary-Kate directly, rather than calling the media.”

It sounds to me like there hasn’t been much opportunity for anyone to get close enough to address the twins.

photo: Wenn

Related Articles:

Mary-Kate Olsen Plays Hardball with Federal Investigators

Meg — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:23:03 +0000

Mary-Kate Olsen is a wanted woman. Federal investigators want to talk to her about two powerful painkillers that contributed to the death of actor Heath Ledger. Olsen isn’t willing to sit down to discuss the matter without being guaranteed immunity from possible prosecution, according to law enforcement officials.

Olsen’s lawyer, Michael C. Miller has twice denied investigators an opportunity to question his client. He said:

“We have provided the government with relevant information including facts in the chronology of events surrounding Mr. Ledger’s death and the fact that Ms. Olsen does not know the source of the drugs Mr. Ledger consumed.”

Olsen wants a promise of immunity from prosecution before speaking to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Olsen was a close friend of the actor and was the first person called when the 28 year old was discovered by a masseuse in his TriBeca apartment in Manhattan on January 22, 2008.

Investigators could serve Olsen with a subpoena to force an appearance in front of a grand jury. All other potential witnesses have voluntarily provided answers to investigators questions. Those interviewed included anyone who was in Ledger’s apartment in the weeks prior to his death.

Several drugs were prescribed legally by doctors in Texas and California but investigators are particularly interested in how Ledger got OxyContin and Vicodin, which the medical examiner believes were the drugs that were most concentrated in his system and ultimately claimed his life.

A masseuse found the Australian actors body when she showed up for a massage appointment. She soon realized something was wrong and spent nine minutes making three calls to Olsen, who was in California, before calling 911. Olsen sent her security team to Ledger’s apartment though it is unclear what, if anything, they did upon arriving. The masseuse phoned Olsen a fourth time after paramedics arrived on the scene.

Olsen has remained mute on the subject. The fact that she is asking for immunity would seem to indicate she has information that might incriminate her in some way. We’ll be watching this story closely.

Check out more photos below.

Photos: WENN

Related Articles:

Spencer Pratt Does Some Big Time Backpedaling (Video)

Missy — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:55:15 +0000

Spencer Pratt, aka ’slimy weasel’, isn’t doing much to help his image these days. Pratt’s recent war of words with Mary-Kate Olsen, however, seems to be fading fast since he apologized.

Mary-Kate recently appeared on David Letterman and spilled the beans on the fact that Spencer was one of her fellow students in school. Olsen said that he used to throw temper tantrums doing his high school soccer games. Spencer shot back with a written statement to Usmagazine.com calling Olsen the “less cute twin”.

Now Pratt is doing a little backpedaling and told Us exclusively:

“I apologize for getting caught up in trash talking, but she brought up an emotional subject when she mentioned the soccer stuff. I respect Mary Kate as a business-woman, I’m secretly jealous of her. I want my face on a lunchbox, too!”

We totally get where Pratt is coming from because soccer is such a sensitive sport. Sources say the reason there is a rift between the two is because ~~slimy weasel~~ Spencer supposedly sold high school photos to Star magazine, showing Olsen drunk.

We have the Letterman and Mary-Kate video below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KTeTYV7lu4[/youtube]

Photos: WENN

Related Articles:

Mary Kate Olsen Lands Role on Samantha Who? (Photos, Video)

Meg — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:42:27 +0000

Mary-Kate Olsen, 22, is reportedly making a guest appearance on the ABC hit show Samantha Who?. The filming is taking place this week for fall airing. Her film The Wackness is also set to open in select theaters on July 3rd.

The reclusive millionaire reportedly has good comedy instincts, no doubt the result of her many years as a child star. She and her twin sister Ashley Olsen shared the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House, beginning at age six month.

E! reports that Samantha Who? producers are happy with Olsen’s performance. No word on whether she might snag a callback for a future episode.

Samantha is played by gorgeous actress Christina Applegate. The show won the distinction of being the highest rated new sitcom in 2007, making it a shoe in to be picked up for a second season which begins in September.

Mary-Kate appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman earlier this week. We’ve got photos of the bohemian waif as she was entering the Ed Sullivan Theater. Unlike her normal demeanor, she actually smiled in a couple of the poses.

Check them photos and Olsen’s Letterman performance video below.

Photos: WENN

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KTeTYV7lu4[/youtube]

Related Articles:

Mary-Kate Olsen Elle Magazine Cover July 2008

Meg — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:56:00 +0000

Mary-Kate Olsen graces the cover of Elle magazine’s July 2008 issue. The actress was reportedly ‘horribly jet-lagged’ from an Asian business trip to publicize her two clothing lines, ‘Row’ and ‘Elizabeth and James’.

In addition to their lucrative clothing ventures, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen own Dualstar Entertainment Group, their billion-dollar conglomerate. The 22 year old twins have been earning a living practically from day one, first appearing in front of the camera as babies playing the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House. The sisters started out earning $4,000 an episode but were making $150,000 an episode when the show ended its 8 year run.

The savvy marketing of their brand has allowed the pair to amass a fortune. The Olsen sisters were ranked number 5 on Forbes Top 20 Young Superstars list with 2007 earning of $17 million each.

Mary-Kate has spent time in rehab for a reported eating disorder and made headlines earlier this year when her close friend Heath Ledger was found dead in his NYC Tribeca loft. The housekeeper phoned Olsen several times before calling police. The actress has been largely silent on the subject and does not discuss it publicly.

Designer Diane von Furstenberg is working with Mary-Kate on an upcoming coffee table book called Influence, which contains interviews, photographs and artwork. She had this to say about the actress:

Mary-Kate is fragile yet strong, a fierce ambition tempered by empathy; a talent for business tethered to an artistic spirit. She’s an old soul in a very young girl. Hers is a story that has just begun.”

Check out more photos below.

Related Articles:

Mary-Kate Olsen Down and Out in Manhattan (Photos)

Meg — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:28:34 +0000

Mary-Kate Olsen seems to have run out of steam and as a result has plunked herself down on a New York City sidewalk. She does, however, seem to have enough energy left to do a bit of multi-tasking, while waiting for her batteries to recharge.

She is seen smoking, talking on her phone and cleaning her purse while looking aloof and unbothered, sitting cross legged in the TriBeCa section of Manhattan.

The New York Times has previously commented on Olsen’s fashion choices and has dubbed her style the homeless look. Maybe she has taken that statement to heart. She has a role in an independent film coming out in 2008. It is appropriately named The Wackness and has the actress sharing a kiss with Ben Kingsley.

Mary-Kate and sister Ashley Olsen are reportedly two of the wealthiest young women in the world. The little waif is definitely a bohemian free spirit. Perhaps the fame that enveloped her from her babyhood on, has colored her existence.

Wait. There is one other possibility. Maybe she is deflated after landing on Mr. Blackwell’s Worst Dressed List with Amy Winehouse. That would be enough to send anyone into a tailspin – even Mary-Kate.

Related Articles:

Worst Dressed Celeb of the Day: Mary-Kate Olsen

Andrea — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 13:50:08 +0000

Mary-Kate Olsen or the Grim Reaper?

Mary-Kate Olsen attends an art opening for Vanity Fair and Christie’s auction house. Being close to Halloween she either assumed it was a costume party, or someone forgot to send her the memo that it wasn’t a costume party. Death does not become her.