Things You Don't Know About Mary-Kate Olsen's Odd Marriage
Mary-Kate Olsen's showbiz career hit the ground running so soon after birth that it's shocking to consider she's only been among us since 1986. In the space between, the pint-sized superstar has gone from being a precocious youngster whose starring role in Full House launched a brand that became inseparable from twin sister Ashley Olsen, to an international businesswoman and model, though not without some slightly precarious bumps in the road along the way.
Then, following an extremely on-brand and secretive 2015 wedding, Mary-Kate settled down into the quiet rhythms of a married life with billionaire Olivier Sarkozy. And It seemed like a blissful, if not somewhat peculiar union. Nothing bad — just odd. But the honeymoon — well, actually, the entire marriage — was over by early 2020. As of this writing, it's still unclear what exactly went wrong, although the initial details of the spilt don't sound great.
While we wait to be inevitably disappointed when "irreconcilable differences" are the only deets we get, let's take a look at some of the strange facts and gossip about Mary-Kate and her ex-beau.
Mary-Kate Olsen's ex-boo is the step-brother of France's former President
Well, that's an impressive familial connection. Imagine if Justin Bieber started dating a cousin of Barack Obama ... or something. Olivier Sarkozy's half-brother is Nicolas Sarkozy (above), a name foreign-affairs challenged Americans may vaguely recognize. He served as president of France from 2007 to 2012, trying to lead his nation through a complex world economic crisis. Step-brother Olivier is a prominent investment banker. If nothing else, that combo should have made for some vibrant dinner conversation between stale jokes about John Stamos' hair.
Olivier Sarkozy's ex-wife called them 'grotesque'
Olivier Sarkozy's wedding to Mary-Kate Olsen was his second go-around at marriage. His first wife, Charlotte Sarkozy (above), reportedly did not approve, particularly in regard to the newlywed's age difference (Olivier was 42; Mary-Kate was 25 when they reportedly started dating).
"That's not right. It's grotesque," Charlotte told the National Enquirer. Those are strong words; maybe even unfair, but Charlotte, is coming from the perspective of a mother and children's book author who supposedly doesn't want stepmom Mary-Kate — a woman with a hard-partying reputation — hanging around her kids. This Thanksgiving table just gets more and more awkward.
Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy's $13.5 million starter home
The marriage between Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy was no spur-of-the-moment thing. Rumor has it, he was revved up and ready to race down the aisle after just ten months of dating, but Mary-Kate supposedly made him slow his roll. They reportedly dated for three years, buying a $13.5 million townhouse (above) in Manhattan before tying the knot. The insane domicile includes a hall of mirrors, a rooftop swimming pool, a massive garage, an artist's studio, a working elevator, and a private garden with fountain. Sounds like a dream home, right?
Well, for this 1% couple, it was just a starter home. Curbed reported that they sold the place in 2014 "apparently in search of more privacy."
PDA somehow wasn't odd for this very private couple
French blogs and magazines just couldn't get enough of this May-December (or mars-décembre) romance, at the expense of the elder husband, of course. Calling Olivier Sarkozy "the little French lover" and other diminutive nicknames, the foreign press seemed determined to lampshade creepiness and expose a trend for dating younger woman that seems to have a long and fruitful history in the Sarkozy family tree. Plus, there's the aforementioned half-brother president thing.
That kind of attention tends to suck all sorts of dirty laundry into the public eye, but Mr. and Mrs. Mary-Kate Olsen didn't seem to mind the haters. When these two were caught in public, it was all cuddles and kisses and locked hands and doting pats. And look, while it's easy to recoil from any PDA, and to perhaps even go so far as to say, "Cut. It. Out," we're not here to judge. It's just a bit odd that a couple so seemingly intent on maintaining their privacy would be so public with their affection.
Mary-Kate Olsen's wedding was low-key and smoky
When Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy finally tied the knot in 2015, they didn't make it an ostentatious affair. Details are sparse, but according to Page Six, the couple reportedly kept it relatively low-key by celebrity standards, with some 50 guests attending the event, which was held in a lavish Manhattan apartment with bowls of cigarettes topping every table.
"Everyone smoked the whole night," a source told the tab. So romantic! One classy detail, however, did stand out: Guests were reportedly stripped of their cellphones during the special day. Hey, that just frees up a hand for another cig, right?
The most egregious omission? Bob Saget wasn't invited, as he revealed to Today. We feel bad for this '90s sitcom dad, his once-full house so empty, but he took the snub in stride, telling the morning show, "I'm very happy. I love her very much. I hope they're happy."
Olivier Sarkozy and Mary-Kate Olsen flew under the radar
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen used to be everywhere and constantly hounded by paparazzi. But when Olivier Sarkozy made an honest woman out of Mary-Kate, the pair effectively skirted the spotlight. In fact, they keep such a low profile that not even Mary-Kate's former Full House co-stars saw her that often. After their November 2015 wedding, the newlyweds weren't seen out in public together for nearly two months.
A source told E! News that part of why you don't see this Mr. and Mrs. around much is because they referred the City of Light. "Mary-Kate has a fabulous life with Olivier and they spend a lot of time in Paris where they are both very happy," an insider said. "She has become immersed in his world."
Did Mary-Kate's marriage influcence Ashley's dating life?
The huge age difference between Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy is almost nothing compared with twin sister Ashley Olsen and her former beau. Perhaps in an odd twist of twindom, Ashley was been linked to artist Richard Sachs when she was 30 and he was 56. The twins were even been spotted on numerous double dates together with their significant others. One witness told Page Six that they spotted Ashley and the divorced Sachs canoodling. "It looked like she was dining with her grandpa, but they were holding hands and snuggling."
In November 2016, a source told Page Six, "Olivier is a longtime friend of Richard's. They have the same group of friends, so it's possible he may have introduced them ... it's definitely a real relationship." Whatever it was, it didn't last long. Ashley and Sachs reportedly split by March 2017, after about five rumored months of dating.
Mary-Kate Olsen used to 'go home and cook dinner'
Though Mary-Kate Olsen has been working pretty much since birth and can certainly afford to hire some help around the house, she admitted to Net-A-Porter's The Edit in March 2017 that she felt the need to be domestic, too. We're not saying it's a bad thing. It's just a bit odd to hear a gal worth about $200 million talk about putting food on the table — and we're not talking about a bucket of KFC.
"I think we're lucky. [Working hard] comes quite naturally for us. We don't need so much time to sit and think and ponder," she said of her and sister Ashley Olsen's ambitions. "But then I have a husband, two stepkids and a life; I have to go home and cook dinner. I ride horses on the weekends. You find the thing that helps you relax, and if you don't have it, you have to look for it. Or you get burned out, and then you're not productive."
Mary-Kate Olsen's emergency divorce
Despite all the PDA Mary-Kate Olsen and Pierre Olivier Sarkozy were racking up in pap shots, it looks like things weren't peachy behind the scenes. According to TMZ, Olsen "signed a petition for divorce" in April 2020, but courts weren't accepting new filings due to coronavirus precautions. A month later, she allegedly requested an emergency court order to expedite the process.
While a divorce between two multi-millionaires hardly seems like an emergency, Olsen may be stuck crashing with her sister sooner than later lest she take up residence in one of NYC's near-empty hotels and chuck her stuff into a storage unit. The tabloid reports that Sarkozy may be forcing Olsen out of their marital home and "terminated their lease" behind her back. His attorneys allegedly told her in an email that she had to get her belongings out of there by May 18th. She claimed she couldn't meet this deadline and asked for an extension until May 30th, but Sarkozy reportedly never answered. The court order, as she sees it, is the only way to keep him from throwing out her stuff.
With a temporary moratorium on evictions also part of the city's precautions, you'd think that goes for disposing of property, too, but Curbed explained that it's really just for people who can't pay rent or qualify for unemployment. It's unclear if that extents to millionaires who are, say, spatting with an apparently vindictive spouse.