In the 90s, television viewers couldn’t avoid seeing those two adorable twins on TV. To say they were “everywhere” would be a grave understatement. Whether it was a TV spot, promotion, on the ABC sitcom Full House, or later in their plethora of movies, the Olsen Twins became icons in their own right, making millions of dollars seemingly overnight.

Over the years they not only became powerhouse celebrities, but fashion moguls and real estate moguls to boot. Their sister Elisabeth has become quite the actress as well, even playing in a wide array of films that can outclass anything her sisters have ever done.

And even after all these years, long after the Olsen Twins lit up the screen with their witty lines and smiling faces, the world still shows a great interest in what goes on in their lives. After all, you are reading this, aren’t you?

Yet, like most dynasties, all that success didn’t come without a few dark skeletons deep within the proverbial closet.

Here are twenty-five dark secrets you probably didn’t know about the Olsen family.

25 Not So Cute Anymore

It isn't hard for the viewing public to figure out that Hollywood celebs like to burn the candle at both ends. So many celebrities are often seen on tabloid TV in compromising situations and embarrassing photos are often "leaked" to the press.

Of course, the public isn't always accustomed to seeing one of the most treasured performers of their youth being caught behaving badly. Such was the case for one of America's most beloved TV performers from the 90s, and albeit, twas none other than our very own Mary-Kate Olsen.

Spencer Pratt, the obnoxious reality star of The Hills, unscrupulously leaked photos of Mary-Kate in a rather unflattering pose. For North-American viewers, the photo was an utter shock. Here was one of America’s Sweethearts, and what? Behaving in such an irresponsible way! For shame!

It has been reported that he sold the pic that was snapped at a party the two attended, for 50K.

Some friend.

The incident led the public to wonder … what other kinds of trouble were these girls getting into?

24 Looking Back Un-fondly

It is clear that Mary-Kate does not look back on her career with fondness. She has stated that hers and her sister’s early acting career was like that of “little monkey performers.” Harsh comments indeed. But keep in mind that their careers never garnered any serious steam pertaining to their acting ability, so sadly, maybe there is some truth to her statements.

Mary-Kate, as opposed to her sister Ashley has stayed in the business--now not full time, mind you--her performances are few and far between. She has appeared in Beastly and The Wackness alongside Sir Ben Kingsley, as well as other performances here and there.

Yet that does not mean she is fond of acting. When David Letterman asked her if she'd like it if her very own children were actors, she cringed and said probably not.

Most young actresses and actors today--the ones who are motivated  and inspired to perform--act as often as possible; much like her very own sister, Elizabeth, who acts in as many as two films per year or more; independent and feature promotions alike.

This is not the case for Mary-Kate.

Maybe it's the money ... maybe it's the fact that she isn't hungry. Or, maybe she simply feels she has nothing to prove.

23 Lyme Disease for Ashley

Radar online reported years ago that Ashley was diagnosed with the terrible disease and has been living with the effects since. Lyme disease is a debilitating illness that leaves the sufferer with an extreme lack of energy and is transmitted through ticks. Wait! I know what you’re thinking. Where in God’s name did Ashley get infested with ticks? It seems to me that these girls have been subjected to a series of many, many unfortunate events, but Lyme disease? Now that takes the cake.

An insider close to the star told In Touch that Ashley is indeed in a lot of pain and that her symptoms have gotten nothing but worse.

She also stated that it is now affecting Ashley's work day and she can't seem to get through her daily tasks and activities.

Lyme disease is known to cause pins and needles across the skin, a diluted sense of brain power and these and other symptoms have caused Ashley to shorten her work days.

22 Say Cheese

As it is common with the very young, the loss of baby teeth presented a problem because the twins didn’t lose their teeth at the same time while filming Full House and some of their earlier films, which of course meant … prosthetic teeth.

Yes, way back in the 90’s, when you were laughing along with the Olsen’s whacky and zany antics, they were wearing dentures more expensive than yours.

Ah … is anything real in tinsel town?

Hollywood celebs are constantly in the "make-up chair;" whether it is to add some ghoulish make-up when they play surreal characters or super heroes, or to wear fat suits in order to bulk up for particular roles. The process is apparently completely arduous, as many celebs have recounted in interviews.

Yet nobody wants to imagine that children have to sit through the process that most actors call grueling. Sitting in a make-up chair for hours on end must be extremely difficult, and we can only imagine what it must have been like for Ashley and Mary-Kate and at such a young age ... having false teeth constantly adjusted and polished for scenes.

21 They are the Same, but They’re not the Same

Mary-Kate and Ashley have stated that they are in actual fact “sororal” twins, and not identical twins. This means that they should only be alike like most brothers and sisters, seeing that they developed in separate eggs, but remarkably, they look even more alike than most identical twins.

Go figure.

Funny, since the press has been calling them The Olsen Twins their entire career.

It's obvious why the public could mistake them as being identical. Not only because they look exactly alike, but because the media told us they were twins, and we all know the power of the media and how it can have an effect on our minds.

These days, however, it is much easier to tell them apart than it once was. Mary-Kate's severe weight loss is a definite no-brainer in letting us know who is who and the telling difference between the two. And if you look at a lot of pictures of the "twins," you're likely to see a difference in height as well. (Ashley is the taller one.)

Ashley's penchant for cosmetic surgery is also something that helps us tell the girls apart.

20 Luck of the Draw

Imagine if you achieved all the dreams you had as a child. Imagine that you were at the top of a conglomerate production company and clothing company, after years of smiling on cue for the big camera lights of Hollywood. Now imagine, for just a second, that it all happened out of shear chance!

Who would have thought that their career … a career that spawned countless TV appearances and merchandise, all happened by chance?

Labour laws for young actors are extremely strict. An example of this is the restriction for child actors to only do 20 minutes of acting at a time. The benefit with having a set of twins doing one role is that they can get 40 minutes out of the same character.

Thus, when their mother sent in a photo of the adorable tykes to a “friend” in the industry, the producers jumped at the chance to cast the scene-stealing duo.

So, just like the luck a card player gets at the tables in Vegas, the Olsen Twins' career got started. We can imagine that many children auditioned for the role, so there must have been something that gave the Olsen's their edge, but had Mamma Olsen not given in their photo ... none of this would have ever happened.

19 The Birthday Suit

In 2007, Mary-Kate told Harper’s Bazaar that she enjoys running around her house … in the buff. Yup, you heard it right. Crazy, but apparently true.

I wonder what the neighbors think?

All we have are her very own statements that she admittedly shows a lot of skin when alone at home. So, it's probably just a quirky habit of hers. Either that or one of the precious Olsen sisters is a closet nudist!

Seeing that there have been reports of substance abuse on her part, it is indeed a valid question, only one can’t say for sure.

18 Mary Kate’s Marriage - Awkward

To say the least.

For someone like Mary-Kate Olsen, the public, especially the fans of her earlier work, were anticipating the marriage and settling down of one of America’s television sweethearts, yet when she finally did hook a gentleman up to the old ball and chain, voices all over North America collectively groaned in one chorus of chagrin. She married, Olivier Sarkozy, a French banker and a man who is seventeen years her senior … ouch.

And what more … she has a step daughter that is much closer to her own age! Ashley too once dated a man 30 years her senior! What gives? Why are the Olsen twins obsessed with older men?

When on David Letterman quite a few years back, when talking about her performance in The Wackness, she mentioned having the chance to work with heavyweight British actor, Sir Ben Kingsley. Now, instead of talking about how amazing it was to work with such a fine actor of his status, she giggled and mentioned how amazing it was to be given the chance to "make out" with the much older actor. Interesting...

17 You Can Never Go Home Again

The words of Thomas Wolfe are fitting here as they are in many situations, but the world was left speechless when Mary-Kate and Ashley turned down offers to return to the reboot of the very popular show, Full House.

After being asked repeatedly to return to the reboot of Full House on Netflix, now appropriately entitled Fuller House, the twins rejected invitations and are now the only original cast members not involved.

It has been rumored that there is a rift between them and the rest of the cast, but neither parties have ever went into explicit detail.

Rumors state that the Olsens were always apart from the rest of the cast, but nothing ever came of such reports. But when the news hit that they were in fact not returning to reprise the role of Michelle, hearts all over North America collectively broke and a little light was shed on those rumors we've all heard so many times before.

16 Pictures on the Fridge

To say that Mary-Kate and her sister have been affected by the body image pressures put on them by the media and whoever they had around them, influencing their every move as they grew up in a terribly stressful industry, would be a terrible understatement. With each of them drastically changing their appearance to achieve some form of themselves they could be proud of.

Mary-Kate underwent huge changes, and the gaunt face she wears in many of her public shots that crop up on TV and online shows how badly she was indeed starving herself.

Before she was to turn 18, her father checked her into a rehabilitation clinic for anorexia nervosa. People close to the family have stated that it had indeed gotten very bad, and many people around her feared for her life.

There are many that still believe she is still much too thin.

15 Skid Row

Being the head of a major billion dollar fashion conglomerate causes one to have to make big decisions. That’s fair to say.

But, the Olsen Twins’ decision to constantly use fur and leather in their clothing designs at “The Row,” their clothing company, has led them to be persona non grata amongst animal lovers and PETA activists everywhere.

What does it say?

Of course, many people wear fur and leather and it's not for this writer to say if that is right or wrong. We're not judging anybody here. Only, for a person with the power to influence other people, and the Olsen Twins do--we can't deny that--it sends the wrong message to a public that is easily influenced.

For PETA to question and claim that the Olsen Twins haven't done their part in keeping animals safe isn't wrong either.

Just think of how many animals had to suffer just so millions of rich people could wear fur. That's PETA's point and it's sound.

The glaring problem here is that the Olsens haven't even batted an eye at the complaints and that's what rubs people the wrong way.

So despite protests, the girls stand fast and continue to use leather and fur in their many designs.

Girls! What would Comet think?

14 Sibling rivalry?

Despite the fact that her sisters were the most successful child actors in television history, Elizabeth Olsen chose to pursue a childhood of dancing and playing sports. According to The Daily Mail, the acting bug hit only when she was in high school and taking drama classes, despite the fact that she had been cast of some of her sister’s films.

Is there a rift or twang of jealousy between her and her sisters?

Apparently not and the acting came for her at seemingly just the right time, because her career is skyrocketing with fantastic roles that are garnering her all the right kind of attention as opposed to the tabloid attention her sisters receive.

Some roles include: Kill Your Darlings, The Avengers, I Saw The Light, and a steamy, and rather challenging and seductive role in Spike Lee’s Old Boy.

Her performances are true and she can most definitely act; no doubt about it. Her performances receive rave reviews and her films do well.

13 The black sheep

If you look deeply enough into their closet of secrets, you’re likely to find a brother in there. He’s had a few appearances with his sisters and has performed on Comedy Corner, a TV series. His name is Trent Olsen. There are indeed a few images of him out there in the world wide web, but he seems pretty much inactive as far as producing any more performance related work.

A handsome kid and, if he’s anything like Elizabeth, he’d make a fine actor, but is the world ready for yet another Olsen sibling to hit it big?

I wonder.

Also deep within the closet are two other siblings ... well, half siblings. Their father had two other children after splitting with their mother years ago.

Maybe the world is tired of the Olsens, but then again maybe Elizabeth has enough talent for them all.

12 The Big Split

Despite all the success of the children, the strain that their achievements put on themselves and their family, cost their parents to end their marriage. It is difficult to say what the issues between both parents were; it only shows us that the price of success can indeed be quite high.

With the money the twins garnered for the family, the whole troupe lived quite well. As is the case with many child celebs, the question amongst the public is raised often: Did the parents steal all of their money?

This is obviously not the case. In this case, the Olsen parents seemed to teach young Ashley and Mary-Kate, the obvious value of a dollar, and the girls have not only invested well, but they are still investing well and have a large dynasty on their hands.

So whether or not their parents divorced, it's clear that they had their daughter's interests at heart. Of course it didn't hurt that they lined their pockets with a lot of cash as well.

11 You’re Fired

Early on, when John Stamos was working on Full House and trying to get through a particularly tough scene, the Olsen Twins had started to cry, thus causing him to lose his concentration. He got so flustered and frustrated that he cried out: “Get them outta here!”

Of course this sheds a negative light on an era of television that the world is quite fond of (including this writer.) To imagine Uncle Jesse screaming at the top of his lungs and at what ... a pair of adorable tykes crying?

Casting even found two other twins, yet they weren’t right for the job, so the Olsens were brought right back.

And to think … their future empire almost expired before it would be given a chance to bloom.

I guess Mr. Stamos had to get used to a few tears every now and again.

10 A Diagnosis of Deficit

Mary-Kate was diagnosed with ADD at some point during her education. Neither of the twins spoke out on the issue, but the information was leaked when she received “extra time” for her SATs.

It is said that sufferers of ADD are easily susceptible to narcotics abuse, and in this case, that came to be. Also, sufferers have trouble concentrating on anything for long periods of time. People close to her have said that these symptoms were exuded by Mary-Kate at some points in her life. ADD is difficult and at times exasperating to deal with, but at this point, it is treatable and one is able to live a productive life regardless.

So seems to be the case for Mary-Kate, as the diagnosis was a long time ago, and she has accomplished much since then, although she still shows traits of ADD as can be seen in some of her public appearances ... sometimes jittery, distracted and hard to interview as was seen on an appearance on David Letterman where she giggled through most of her segment.

9 How much!?

The multitudes of fans the girls acquired with their fame were mostly middle class children of the working class. One would think that when the two started designing clothes for one and all, they’d gear their target demographic to the public that made them.

Unfortunately not. Yes … at first, their designs were indeed available at the department stores known to one and all amongst the middle and lower classes, but not for long.

Their line of clothing and apparel is very out of range for most middle class fans everywhere.

With their designs hitting the professional runway, any chance of lower prices for their poorer fans gets further and further away. One would think that if they made their apparel more affordable to the masses, they'd make more money, but the Olsen camp doesn't seem convinced. They've stayed the course and their items get more expensive as time passes. They don't seem to have any intention of lowering any of the prices on the multitude of designs offered at The Row.

8 No Tweets from the Olsen Camp… Unless I Get Something Out of it

Both Olsen Twins steer clear of any and all social media. One could assume they had enough of the media, so why subject themselves to any more unnecessary stress and suffering? Besides, do they really need the exposure?

But their sister, Elizabeth, is quite fond of putting herself “out there,” but is rumored to be on social networking only for monetary and professional gains.

Yes, a lot of people are, but for that to come out about a celebrity … that’s just negative publicity any way you look at it. Anything “forced” on a celebrity’s part shows a lack of honesty to their public persona.

But, like her sisters, she doesn't seem to mind.

She keeps pretty much to herself and seems to want to concentrate the attention given to her on her acting and the films she performs in, which isn't a problem. A lot of serious actors have done that since the dawn of time in tinsel town.

7 Cold as Ice

According to a close friend, the Olsen Twins are not interested in friends and they pretty much keep to themselves. As previously stated, they're not even on social media, for crying out loud. This is 2018 ... and any celebrity wanting any exposure knows that a twitter account can't hurt in the long run, but then again, maybe they like being left alone.

Back in the day, they even kept their distance from cast members of Full House, so why are people surprised that today, they still enjoy keeping to themselves?

Part of that is understandable, yet part of that just shows them in an extremely bad light. For a pair of sisters who have requested the audience and consumers to buy into them, the viewing public would at least deserve for they who have been given so much, to invest a little bit of time and warmth back into them.

6 Dating Heath

Heath Ledger was a promising young actor who had his whole life ahead of him and a fabulous film career to boot. He was a respected actor who gave himself to his art completely and he was taken much too soon in 2008.

The only controversy about his death was where he was found and where he got the substances? And unfortunately the answers to these controversial questions lead us to the very doorstep of our very own Mary-Kate Olsen.

Mary Kate was reportedly “seeing” actor Heath Ledger before his death in 2008. It has been reported that Ledger and Mary Kate were frequenting one another at the time of his death yet had no plans of being “exclusive.” When Ledger died, the masseuse that found his body reportedly called Mary-Kate many times before calling authorities to the scene.

Yes, even though the apartment was indeed Mary-Kate’s, there must have been more to the fact that the masseuse so desperately tried to reach Mary-Kate before communicating with the proper authorities. Only, like most mysterious Hollywood deaths, we’ll never know what really transpired behind closed doors.