The Power of Mary-Kate and Ashley in 2002

We have finally come down from the high of having one of the best conversations of our lives with Jane Sibbett two weeks ago, and we are back this week to talk about serious business: Mary-Kate and Ashley's enormous power in 2002.Today, we're talking about a feature "Downtown 20/20" did on the Olsens in February 2002. This caught our attention a few weeks ago when we were researching our Young Hollywood on Late Night episode and because this interview actually reveals a lot about Mary-Kate and Ashley's business at this time. Mainly in what Robert Thorne says to Connie Chung: the girls could not fire him.This comment sent us on a tailspin, and we talk about the implications of what exactly that means, and how it conflicts with the "we make all the decisions" narrative they were pushing during this era.  We also discuss the ridiculousness of Connie Chung's questioning whether Mary-Kate and Ashley "going the Britney Spears route," when at this point in history, Britney Spears was starring in Crossroads and dating Justin Timberlake-- a relatively uncontroversial time for the pop princess. Finally, we discuss why everyone was obsessed with speculating when Mary-Kate and Ashley would break apart, because the world doesn't have "much of a need for 35 year old twins." And we're so proud of them for proving those naysayers wrong.You can watch all of the 20/20 segment and the full video version of this podcast by subscribing to our Patreon here.Find us on Social Media!Instagram: @theythoughtiwasyouTikTok: @theythoughtiwasyouBecca: @beccarothLani: @laniharmsAre you Meghan Trainor and want to record an episode with us? Email us at: [email protected] for those A+ students that want to prepare for next week's ep: Mary-Kate and Ashley's Magical Mystery Mall PlaythroughSupport the show