“Full House” is one of the most popular sitcoms ever. For eight seasons, every episode featured Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos), Michelle (played alternately by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) and Co. experience the usual American family madness. Ultimately, the series also ensured that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen could grow into absolute superstars and pop culture phenomena in the 1990s.
However, it almost turned out differently. John Stamos explained on the Good Guys podcast that he had a hard time with the twins, who were just 11 months old in Season 1. In the first episode it even went so far that Stamos at one point decided to just throw the two babies out of the series. You can watch the conversation here:
In Episode 1, Jesse and Joey (Dave Coulier) try to change Michelle’s diaper in the kitchen: “We shot the scene. Joey and I changed the baby, okay? […] We carried the baby down the stairs and into the kitchen where we rinsed her off. And she screamed. Both. They wanted to be everywhere but there. That was true for me too.”
Stamos explains on the podcast that he was quite frustrated that the producers kept swapping the babies and promising they wouldn’t cry anymore:
“They were 11 months old and God bless them. They kept changing them, promising, “This one won’t scream.” I couldn’t handle it. And I said, ‘This isn’t going to work.’ And so they lost them. They then took two red-haired children… I’m sure their parents loved them and found them attractive. It was only a few days and I said, ‘Bring back the Olsens! These kids are terrible!’.
What exactly Stamos has to say about the red-headed surrogate children remains a mystery. However, it was arguably far worse than Mary-Kate and Ashley’s perfectly natural screams at the tender age of less than a year. And that was her luck, because the identical duo was able to start a very successful film and series career (which they have since given up to devote themselves entirely to the fashion industry).
Incidentally: In case you’re wondering why two kids played the same part, double casting isn’t uncommon these days due to US child protection rules, which limit their time in front of the camera.