Inside Mary-Kate Olsen's Life Today
There was a time when the Olsen twins were on top of the world. Paps and fans alike would follow them nonstop as they zipped around New York for countless Starbucks runs or random smoke breaks in the most unique spots. Through their many movie roles as teens, Mary-Kate was always seen as the one with the rebellious streak, while Ashley was considered the calmer, more sophisticated of the two. This translated into their real lives as well — especially when Mary-Kate hit some tumultuous times in the mid-2000s. Suffering from a severe eating disorder while having her every move documented, MK retreated from the limelight along with her two-minute-older big sis Ashley. This only piqued the public's curiosity even more, as sightings of the elusive actresses were suddenly akin to whale watching — totally random and utterly infrequent.
Although the girls quietly left Hollywood and their lives as actresses, our obsession with them has yet to cease to a halt. From an exhibit in Brooklyn titled "Olsen Twins Hiding From the Paparazzi," to the online craze with the sisters' fashion prowess, MK went from the girl who hated being famous, to not being able to avoid it no matter how hard she tries.
Almost completely removed from the public eye and seemingly at ease living a discreetly elegant lifestyle, we've managed to hunt down a glimpse into exactly what Mary-Kate Olsen's life is like today.
She's been an equestrian for years
It looks like Mary-Kate Olsen's childhood wish came true: she's still horseback riding to this day. While the hottest celeb hobby in Hollywood is equine therapy as a form of "de-stressing," trendsetter MK has been doing it for years. In a 2008 interview with Elle, Mary Kate revealed her childhood hobby growing up was riding horses. As it turns out, it's something that she's stuck with to this day. Her rider profile on the horse show production company, HITS, spills the deets on the starlet's fave pastime, with MK herself explaining, "I was six when I first fell in love and it was with a pony named 4x4." She rode during her entire acting foray as a teen, and even competed on the equestrian team in high school. "Having horseback riding as an outlet was super important because it allowed me to have another life and outlet outside of work and school," MK said, adding, "I continued to ride through high school and stopped when I moved to New York."
We assume she must have really missed riding, as she's been photographed in recent years taking up the regal hobby yet again. In 2019, she even competed in a Spanish horseback riding competition in Madrid with her hubby, Olivier Sarkozy in attendance as support.
Married, with children
Well, not her own children, but Mary-Kate Olsen has certainly taken to the role of playing step-mom! Since 2015, the former child star has enjoyed playing wifey to prominent French banker, Olivier Sarkozy, and incorporating her step-children, Julien and Margot into her life as well. If Sarkozy's last name sounds familiar, it's because he's the brother of the former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy.
While the French initially mocked the couple for their 16-year age gap (and the fact that Sarkozy towers over the teeny Olsen) the duo shrugged off the haters, tying the knot in an ultra-private ceremony in Manhattan. Per Page Six, the event was in "a private residence" with only 50 guests — all required to hand over their cell phones before entering the rear garden where the reception was held. The most bizarre-yet-chic idea for party decor? As an insider dished, in true Olsen fashion, the space had "bowls and bowls filled with cigarettes, and everyone smoked the whole night." Of course.
As MK leads such a private life, fans mostly only get glimpses of her marital bliss through PDA-packed pap photos of the happy couple. She did, however, get real about her personal life in an interview with Net-A-Porter in 2017, revealing, "I have a husband, two step-kids and a life; I have to go home and cook dinner. I run on the weekend." An Olsen playing homemaker? Color us surprised.
She's become a part of fashion's elite
Considering they barely advertise themselves on their clothing labels, it's easy to miss that both Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are the creative directors behind the luxuriously elegant brand, The Row, and Elizabeth and James, a line of a slightly lower price point. Opening up to Vogue in 2019, the girls revealed they started The Row "while studying at New York University."
Both brands have only grown since then. As Mary-Kate told Net-A-Porter, "When we were younger, being in the public eye was almost part of our role and responsibility — to set the trends at that time or be ahead of fashion." Clearly, the twins are aware of their keen eye for the sartorial, and of course, their business savvy. Having opened up multiple brick-and-mortar stores in the US, the girls opened an international location in London in 2019. As MK continued to dish to Vogue, "There's still a craft in London. There's authenticity; there are a lot of artisans that are based there."
As for Elizabeth and James? The Row's diffusion line is going just as well, still incorporating the same fabulous cuts and soft fabrics. MK perfectly described it to Net-A-Porter, "We like to say that Elizabeth and James is the new luxury. It's the idea that you can still have fashion, great fabrics and great fits at a lower price point."
She's 'sheltered' herself from social media
For two celebs that practically came out of the womb surrounded by cameras, both Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen steer clear from any form of social media. Neither on Instagram or Facebook, Ashley revealed to Net-A-Porter, "we've never been connected to our customers or our fans in that way. We've stayed quite sheltered."
Ironically enough, although the girls don't actively partake in the online world, that doesn't stop fans from creating their own massive community of fan accounts, stalking the girls' every move. Per Garage, the Olsens' online presence is "all over the [Instagram] platform" with Olsen aficionados who, somehow, find the most obscure shots of the shy A-listers. Alyce Peeler of @olsenoracle revealed exclusively to Garage that her "specialty is her encyclopedic knowledge of the women's friends" — meaning she stalks their pages for intel on what the twins are doing. Sounds crazy? The time commitment pretty much is.
Nevertheless, the girls did grace the world with a rarity back in 2016: they posted their first ever selfie on Sephora's Instagram account. Doing a takeover for the massive makeup retailer, the girls promoted Elizabeth and James while giving the camera their signature pout complete with oversized sunnies. How much more Olsen can you get?
MK the 'monkey performer?'
If you're a millennial, it's a guarantee that you grew up watching the Olsen twins invading your TV screens, books, CDs, and magazines (Yep, they even did one of those Got Milk? ads). While you'd think the girls are fond of the billion dollar empire they built on the foundation of their early fame, they actually don't remember their childhood that dearly. Mary-Kate, specifically, once got really reflective in an interview with Marie Claire, revealing, "I look at old photos of me, and I don't feel connected to them at all ... I would never wish my upbringing on anyone." She then went on to dish that both she and Ashley felt like "little monkey performers" on camera. Yikes!
Clearly, she didn't hate it as much as her big sis, who left the acting biz in 2004 after the duo's flop New York Minute. Mary-Kate, on the other hand, officially "retired" from acting in 2012, but not before taking a stab at some less tween-friendly gigs such as guest starring on Weeds in 2007 and playing a small role in 2011 film, Beastly.
She has an ultra-cool secret handshake with Ashley
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have always come as a package. As such, you'd think that the two former child stars would grow apart ever so slightly now that they're older, especially since they spent their entire youth as a joint deal known as "The Olsen Twins." Think again.
It turns out, all the years together only sharpened their interpersonal skills. As Ashley revealed to the Wall Street Journal in 2018, "It's been 32 years of learning to communicate. We have had ups and downs." She then went on to compare her working relationship with her sister as, "a marriage and a partnership." Explaining that they do everything together, Mary-Kate added, "We came out of the womb doing that."
The partnership is so close, in fact, that the girls still have a secret sister handshake nobody can interrupt! In an old E! special, a young Mary-Kate once revealed their secret. "We have this little thing when we love each other where we'll squeeze each other like three times. Then I'll squeeze her hand back four times. Like, 'I love you, too.'" To this day, they're apparently still doing it. Per Vanity Fair, while they presented The Row's latest collection in New York in 2018, an Instagram user uploaded a video of the twins at the event, still squeezing each other's hands.
She's been involved in legal disputes multiple times
We'd like to believe the real-life Olsen twins are as adorable as their cutsey early 2000's movie roles, but they've been involved in some interesting stuff, too. In 2015, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the twins' Dualstar Entertainment Group, alleging wage theft and workplace mistreatment. What? According to Page Six, around 40 interns weren't paid, along with lead plaintiff, former design intern Shahista Lalani. Lalani also noted that "she was treated poorly, toiling for free doing menial tasks." Per E! News, the lawsuit was squashed in 2017, with the twins agreeing "to pay out up to $140,000" — mere peanuts in their massive empire.
As we mentioned, it's not the first time MK has dabbled in some shady stuff. Around the time of actor Heath Ledger's death, he was allegedly casually seeing the fashion designer. They were so close, in fact, that masseuse Diana Wolozin, who found Ledger dead in his apartment, phoned Mary-Kate on his speed dial. Per People, the former actress reportedly requested "immunity from prosecution" before cooperating with the police, while her attorney decried "tabloid speculation," and insisted that she "had nothing whatsoever to do with the drugs found in Heath Ledger's home or his body."
Ledger's death was caused by "an accidental overdose of prescription drugs for pain, anxiety and sleep," per People. As for Olsen's alleged involvement? Prosecutors closed the investigation after electing not to enforce a grand jury subpoena against her.
MK the sneakerhead?
It's no secret Mary-Kate Olsen has been a style icon for ages. Mixing her boho vibe with more of a chic gothic look, it's safe to say she totally does her own thing. Amongst all her layers and jewels, however, fans have noticed their eyes surprisingly drifting south — to the former actress' feet. Instead of strutting around in some form of unconventional shoe, MK has been seen rocking sneakers in recent years. Wait, huh?
Although she still manages to keep her all-black ensembles ultra chic, the younger Olsen twin has been stepping out in the Balenciaga sock sneaks — a far departure from what we're used to. As it turns out, however, she perfectly pulls them off!
It's not the only sneaker Mary-Kate's decided to rock, either. Since we're already blowing your mind, get a look at this pair of white velcro trainers by Alexander McQueen. A literal throwback to the sort of shoes we wore at the playground, this sartorial Olsen simply makes it work.
She's a crystal aficionado
Along with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Lena Dunham, and Katy Perry, it looks like Mary-Kate Olsen and her sister Ashley have both succumb to the healing powers of crystals. Considering this new wave trend of wellness is so popular, even Target sells the colorful gems, we aren't too surprised the Olsens have hopped on this train.
It turns out, the girls want to share some of their positive energy back to the world. According to The Cut, our fave fashion twins gave out crystals in "goody bags" to their guests at Fashion Week in 2018. The crystals were either black or white, with the white meant to be used for "universal harmony" or "balancing and revitalizing the 'physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual planes.'" The black, on the other hand, is solely for "protection." Since the girls presumably figured not everyone is well-versed in the powers of crystals, they snuck in little note cards, too, which read, "This crystal is a protective stone which repels and blocks negative energies. It also works in reducing fear and increasing focus." Sign us up!
She holds dinner parties for her customers
To dress like an Olsen, be prepared to dish out the big bucks. Their ultra-sleek brand, The Row, is notorious for being unapologetically expensive. In an interview with Newsweek, the girls admitted to the initial grilling that retailers put them through when they first showed the line. As Ashley revealed, "We dealt with some tough cookies. Their attitude was, 'Who do these girls think they are?'" Nevertheless, they persevered, maintaining the high price point throughout the years with no push back.
In fact, the girls really threw themselves headfirst into succeeding, coming up with unique ways to gauge their customer. As they dished to Vogue, they would actually hold "intimate dinners with retailers to familiarize themselves with their market." Dinner with the Olsens? Yes, please!
Mary-Kate definitely valued these feasts, and as she would go on to explain to the notorious fashion mag, "I feel really fortunate to be very close with those women, and they really do dictate where we go season to season. When we design, we're designing for specific clients ... We understand what their day looks like, how and when they travel." Hey, whatever works, works!