Despite not attending her sisters’ wedding, Fuller House included a sweet Michelle tribute in its final season that many missed. Alternately played Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in Full House, the youngest Tanner daughter was the only core cast member from the original show who didn’t return for the Netflix sequel show. There were some conflicting reports leading up to its release and even during its earlier years that she may show up, but in the end, the Olsen twins stuck with their initial stance on the matter of skipping Fuller House.
While it was uncertain if either of the Olsens would take the offer and reprise Michelle again, Netflix attempted to make Michelle relevant in Fuller House by constantly referencing her. This kept viewers holding onto hope that the Full House spin-off was setting up a surprise appearance. However, as it became clear that there was no chance that the Olsen twins would appear, Fuller House started ignoring her altogether, with the final season only referencing her to poke fun at her absence.
Admittedly, Fuller House was criticized for its tacky handling of Michelle’s absence in the finale. The fact that Kimmy was the one to get to deliver the tasteless zinger about the youngest Tanner sister not coming makes it worse. Amid all this, there’s a secret tribute to the character in Fuller House season 5. During the girls’ trip to the attic, where they find recognizable props from the original series, DJ suddenly starts singing “Lollipos and Gummi Bears.” She and Michelle performed this song in Full House‘s “Our Very First Telethon.”
Interestingly, Candace Cameron-Bure revealed that she disliked doing the Full House scene because she wasn’t comfortable singing in front of an audience. While she could carry a tune, she doesn’t believe she’s good enough to perform. That being said, with a little help from Jodie Sweeting’s Stephanie, who ended up being the family musician like Uncle Jesse, DJ was able to adorably mimic her and Michelle’s performance of the same song in the Fuller House penultimate episode.
Knowing full well that it would be difficult to convince the Olsens to return, Michelle wasn’t part of Fuller House‘s original plan. Still, Netflix kept the door open if either of the twins changed their minds and partook in the show. However, by the end of Fuller House, Michelle had become so irrelevant that it tried to downplay her absence in the series by not acknowledging her existence. Fuller House didn’t even explain why she couldn’t fly home to attend her sisters’ wedding. However, this was arguably a big mistake, as it remains a favorite conversation topic years after the series ended.
