When Fuller House premiered on Netflix in 2016, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen declined to reprise their role as Michelle Tanner. The show explained her absence by saying Michelle was running a fashion empire in New York and couldn't make it home. There were rumors that producers reached out to Elizabeth Olsen for the role, but they denied ever offering it to her. Despite suggestions from fans to have Elizabeth play Michelle, Jeff Franklin, the show's creator, refused to recast the role and continued to try to convince Ashley and Mary-Kate to return.

Many believe it was a missed opportunity not to include Elizabeth, who is an active actress and bears a resemblance to her sisters.