# How Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Built Two Billion-Dollar Empires (Part 1)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/back-row-with-amy-odell-7518682/how-mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen-built-two-billion-dollar-empires-part-1
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/back-row-with-amy-odell-7518682/how-mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen-built-two-billion-dollar-empires-part-1.md
Podcast: [Back Row with Amy Odell](https://stenobird.com/podcast/back-row-with-amy-odell-7518682)
Published: 2026-05-18T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CMLYE3579496108.mp3
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CMLYE3579496108.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/back-row-with-amy-odell-7518682/episodes/how-mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen-built-two-billion-dollar-empires-part-1
Duration seconds: 3556

## Resource

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were on television before they could talk and millionaires before they could read. Former Us Weekly editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford, author of the new Celebrity Intelligence newsletter, joins Back Row to break down the Full House casting story, the Dual Star empire, the billion-dollar licensing machine, and the NYU years that changed everything. Part Two — revealing the secrets behind The Row — is available to Premium subscribers. Sign up at Back Row to get newsletter access included with your subscription, or in Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:40 Dan Wakeford and Celebrity Intelligence 02:47 Why the Olsens are a unique case study 07:50 The Full House casting story 10:07 The reality of child stardom 16:22 How their personalities diverged early 19:49 From pennies to $80,000 an episode 26:27 The home video empire begins 33:28 The billion dollar licensing machine 48:00 Turning 18 and taking control 53:41 NYU and the paparazzi years 57:47 How everything changed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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## Transcript

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