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Oprah Winfrey: Presenter asks teenage Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen what size they are in resurfaced interview
Mary-Kate entered rehab for eating disorder treatment later in 2004
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Your support makes all the difference.Oprah Winfrey has been criticised after a 2004 interview resurfaced in which she asked a teenage Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen what clothing size they are.
At the time of the interview, rumours had been circulating suggesting that Mary-Kate was suffering from an eating disorder. Later in the year, the former Full House star checked into rehab to undergo treatment for the condition.
Appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Winfrey raised the reports to the twins. “I know a new rumour [that’s] recently surfaced has really upset you, right?” she asked the siblings. “You know, the one about eating.”
Ashley answered: “Yeah, you know people are gonna write what they’re gonna write. We try not to read the good or the bad because it just comes with the territory. Either you’re too fat, too skinny and people are just gonna write what they–”
However, she was interrupted by Winfrey, who asked: “What size are you, by the way?” leaving both Mary-Kate and Ashley looking uncomfortable.
Read more: Elizabeth Olsen says growing up as a child star was ‘very scary’
“Size?” Ashley said, with the twins insisting that they were both short and “petite”.
“Oh, that’s so interesting,” Winfrey sarcastically responded, eliciting roars of laughter from the studio audience. “That is so interesting, I’m obsessed with size and you’re like, ‘I really don’t know.’”
“If we were obsessed with our size it’d be, I don’t know, a different story,” Mary-Kate replied.
The Independent has contacted Winfrey’s representatives for comment.
The clip was shared on TikTok, where commenters called out the “problematic” interview.
“Yikes @ Oprah for that one,” one comment read.
“Ashley answering for MK because she knew she was uncomfortable,” another pointed out.
“I know we’re living in different times, but how did they think that was okay!?!” one TikTok user commented. “[Because] they’re young?”
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