Folks Are Wondering Whether 'Always Sunny' Star Kaitlin Olson Is Related to the Olsen Twins
All three women have made their mark on the small screen.
Published Jan. 28 2026, 3:35 p.m. ET
Sharing the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen started their acting careers at just six months old. They went on to star in their own movies in the late '90s and early 2000s, but eventually grew tired of the Hollywood acting world and went into fashion instead.
Kaitlin Olson, who is just a year older than the Olsen twins, studied theater in college at the University of Oregon. She got her first major TV roles around the time that Mary-Kate and Ashley were transitioning out of the acting world.
Some folks are wondering whether the three women are related.
Are Kaitlin Olson and the Olsen twins related?
In short, no, Kaitlin Olson is not related to the Olsen twins. Although they look like they could potentially be sisters, the women are not related. Their last names are pronounced in the same way, but spelled differently.
Mary-Kate and Ashley were born to David and Jarnette Olsen in Sherman Oaks, Calif., in 1986, per People. Their parents divorced in 1996, when the twins were 9 years old. Mary-Kate and Ashley have an older brother, Trent, and a younger sister, Elizabeth, who starred as Wanda in the hit MCU series WandaVision.
Kaitlin Olson grew up in Portland, Ore. She was born to Melinda and Donald Lee Olson, per IMDb. Her dad worked as a publisher, and he also graduated from the University of Oregon.
Kaitlin Olson pursued TV acting work after college.
When Kaitlin moved to LA to pursue acting on screen, she got her start with The Groundlings theater program. She then got roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Drew Carey Show, and Kelsey Grammer Presents: the Sketch Show before starring in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Mick, and High Potential.
Kaitlin was nominated for an Emmy award for her role as DJ, Deborah Vance's wayward daughter on Hacks.
Kaitlin Olson is married to Rob McElhenney.
Kaitlin Olson is married to her long-time Always Sunny co-star Rob McElhenney. The hilarious duo started dating while filming the second season of the show and then got married in 2008 in Malibu. They have two kids: Axel and Leo, who were born in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
The Olsen twins transitioned into fashion.
In 2006, Mary-Kate and Ashley founded the fashion brand The Row, which "combines a timeless perspective with subtle attitudes which form an irreverent classic signature." They were discreet about owning the brand at the time, not necessarily wanting people to see them as the faces of the company. They wanted their work to speak for itself. They created another brand, named after their other siblings: Elizabeth and James. It's sold exclusively at Kohl's stores.
Mary-Kate and Ashley launched the boho-chic brand Olsenboy in 2009 as a JCPenney exclusive, but it was eventually phased out. The twins also collaborated with the Norwegian brand Bik Bok.