Scandals That Rocked The Olsen Twins' World

For nearly two decades, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were known for their clean-cut public image. However, things certainly took a turn not long after the twins hit adulthood. And, while things have generally panned out to show the sisters aren't all that scandalous, they have been caught up in a fair number of scandals. 

Let's start at the very beginning. Back in 2005, the National Enquirer published a story with a particularly damning headline concerning Ashley. The headline in question? "Ashley Olsen caught in drug scandal" (via Campaign). As it turns out, the article was actually based on claims concerning her boyfriend at the time, Scott Sartiano. According to the outlet, Sartiano was at the center of an FBI investigation, and authorities were looking into claims that he had offered illegal drugs as bribes. 

Unsurprisingly, Ashley was not impressed by the publication bringing her into it — especially since she claimed not to know anything about it in the first place. The actor went on to sue the National Enquirer, American Media Inc., and National Enquirer Inc.for a whopping $40 million. Per the lawsuit, "There is no drug scandal, or at least there was no scandal prior to the publication of the article. Freedom of the press is a valuable right, but it is not a license for gossipy tabloids to tar and feather innocent celebrities and destroy their reputations and businesses for the rag's profits." The outlet subsequently apologized.

Two years after Ashley Olsen's run-in with the National Enquirer, her sister was embroiled in a scandal of her own. However, as with Ashley, Mary-Kate Olsen seemed to come away from this particular scandal unscathed. Sorry, Spencer Pratt. Yes, Mary-Kate's longtime feuding partner, Pratt was involved. 

To refresh, in 2007, Pratt copped to having sold pics of Mary-Kate to an undisclosed outlet for a nice sum of money. Said pic, he told Details (via People), suggested that Mary-Kate was drinking underage — a serious blow, given that Mary-Kate was one half of the world's most wholesome duo at the time. That said, it is worth noting that the "scandal" of Mary-Kate possibly drinking actually ended up being overshadowed by Pratt's involvement. Mary-Kate famously admitted to going to high school with the reality star in a 2008 appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman," and the interview took a turn to poking fun at Pratt and his own sleazy rep.

Naturally, Pratt was not thrilled, and several years down the line, he took to TikTok to dispute the claims that they went to school together. It's a little weird that he didn't mention that back in 2008, when he told Us Weekly Mary-Kate was a "troll" (via Access Hollywood). However, in yet another TikTok, he also pointed out that even with the bad blood, "The Olsens are billionaires, so I ... think everything worked out." Yeah ... we're not sure that exempts him from anything.

Unfortunately, a spat with Spencer Pratt was the least of Mary-Kate Olsen's problems in 2008. Olsen also ended up being connected to Heath Ledger in a very surprising way — and per news reports at the time, there was even a possibility of her being forced to testify before a grand jury. 

When Ledger passed away in January 2008, the masseuse who found his body called Mary-Kate for help a whopping three times. That meant Olsen, who was on Ledger's speed-dial list, was linked to his passing right from the get-go. The actor sent private security to the apartment, though they were unable to help. 

So, where's the scandal? After all, if Olsen and Ledger were close friends (something she confirmed when she made a statement after his passing), it's not that surprising that she was contacted. As it turns out, authorities told the AP that they wanted to question the "New York Minute" alum over the painkillers found in Ledger's system. Making things all the more interesting, the anonymous investigator told the outlet that Olsen had refused to comply until she was promised immunity. That being said, in a statement to the AP and other outlets, Olsen's lawyer explained that that was because she simply didn't know where he'd gotten them. Seems that was a prudent move on her part, as the prosecutors ultimately dropped the case a few days after the AP's article was published. 

While Mary-Kate Olsen was never forced to testify about what she knew of Heath Ledger's painkillers, drama related to the investigation wasn't quite done. A few years after Mary-Kate sent her security guards to Ledger's home, one of those guards was implicated in a high-profile investigation into a prostitution ring. 

As was reported by the New York Daily News in May 2012, Dale Araten appeared in court on suspicion of prostitution solicitation. According to police, he had called the line of George Vincent Sr. and George Vincent Jr, known pimps who were ultimately jailed for promotion of prostitution. Araten denied any involvement and claimed that if anyone had made a call from his phone, it hadn't been him. "I occasionally let someone use my phone but that hasn't happened since November 2011," he said.

Naturally, the press had a field day when Araten revealed at his arraignment that he was an employee of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. That said, it's worth noting that neither of the twins nor their company, Dualstar, ever spoke about the situation. It's not clear if he still works for the company post-scandal, though his Linkedin profile states that he's still in security. 

In 2015, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen found themselves in the headlines for yet another high-profile lawsuit. This time, Dualstar was being sued over the treatment of interns at their fashion brand, The Row. In particular, per Page Six, interns claimed to be unpaid, yet expected to work 50-hour weeks — all while being picked on by full-time staff members. "You're like an employee, except you're not getting paid. They're kind of mean to you," one of the interns, Shahista Lalani, told the outlet. 

Of course, it's worth noting that the complaints weren't leveled at Mary-Kate and Ashley themselves, but at others in the company. In particular, Lalani claimed that The Row's head technical designer was especially hard on interns. By contrast, Lalani claimed the Olsen twins were lovely whenever she saw them. "They were never mean to anyone. They're business people," she recounted. 

Even so, Dualstar was quick to respond, with a spokesperson telling USA Today, "The allegations in the complaint filed against Dualstar are groundless, and Dualstar will vigorously defend itself against plaintiff's claims in court, not before the media." That ended up not happening, and the company paid $140,000 as a settlement. Not much for the Olsen twins, who are worth around $500 million combined — and not much for the interns, either. Per Page Six, after lawyer's fees, each intern walked away with a meager $530. 

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen may have settled with The Row's interns, but their fashion brand's legal woes weren't over. Au contraire, a few years later, another lawsuit was filed against The Row, the Olsen twins themselves, and Dualstar Entertainment. This time, the complainant was the brand's former president, David Schulte, who also happened to be one of Ashley's former partners. 

As reported by The U.S. Sun at the time, Schulte and Ashley had actually broken up years prior to his appointment at The Row, so we doubt this had anything to do with a lover scorned. However, what makes this scandal so intriguing is the fact that none of the details have been made public, as the lawsuit files are sealed. Unfortunately, that makes it unlikely that we'll ever hear what prompted Schulte to take legal action unless he or the sisters decide to speak about it themselves. Given that Mary-Kate and Ashley are known for their discretion, we wouldn't count on that happening any time soon (read: ever). 

While there's no denying that the Olsen twins have been linked to a number of scandals over the years, one thing that does stand out is the fact that the sisters themselves are rarely found at fault. We've got to say, we love that for them (and our collective childhoods). Feel free to keep the Olsen twins' staggering movie catalogue on repeat, guilt-free.