Mary-Kate Olsen's Career Put Strain on Marriage to Olivier Sarkozy: 'He Wanted Her to Be More Available'
Mary Kate Olsen has filed for divorce from husband Olivier Sarkozy after five years of marriage, and one insider says it's partly because the two don’t see eye to eye on her career.
"She's super career focused and he's very French and wanted her to be more available," the source tells PEOPLE of the banker, 50. "You can't control a girl who has been on the billionaire track since her 20s."
The former child star and fashion icon, 33, currently runs two luxury fashion brands with twin sister Ashley Olsen: The Row and Elizabeth and James. Mary-Kate and Ashley opened up to WWD about the successful business ventures in 2018, saying their detail-oriented approach to both brands ultimately keeps their partnership strong.
Amy Graves/WireImage Mary-Kate Olsen, Olivier Sarkozy
For example, they want all their offerings to be “perfect” before hitting stands and they are “not product pushers,” Ashley explained, according to WWD. “I don’t know if it’s because of the way we grew up — we just don’t like talking about ourselves or talking about what we’re doing … It’s not really our approach.”
Elizabeth and James — once sold exclusively at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Ave and Net-a-Porter — closed up shop in 2018, but one year later Kohl's announced a surprising partnership with the women's lifestyle brand, stating that the Olsen twins would have a hand in designing pieces for the affordable retailer.
Jillian Sollazzo/WWD/Shutterstock Jillian Sollazzo/WWD/Shutterstock
"Our vision for Elizabeth and James is to deliver a lifestyle brand that offers women access to premium fashion at an affordable price without sacrificing quality and fit," Mary-Kate said in a statement at the time. "Kohl’s is the right partner to take our brand into a new era, while staying true to the high-quality, fashion-forward designs that our loyal brand enthusiasts expect from us. Leveraging Kohl’s extensive store network and digital platform will also allow us to reach a much larger audience than we have in the past and for this we are particularly excited."
Kevin Mazur/WireImage Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
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The Full House stars' fashion empire is not only successful, it's critically-acclaimed — the CFDA awarded the Olsens with the coveted Womenswear Designers of the Year accolade in 2012 and again in 2015. And in 2019, the pair took home the Accessory Designer of the Year for The Row (a ready-to-wear line of handbags, eyewear, and footwear founded in 2006) for the second year consecutive year.
By 2015, The Row was making over $50 million in annual sales, according to WWD. As of 2018, the sisters net worth reportedly surpassed $400 million, according to Elle UK.
Despite their massive presence in the fashion world, both twins keep their relationships fiercely private.
But on Wednesday, Mary-Kate requested an emergency order to file for divorce from husband Olivier Sarkozy, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. She reportedly signed the petition on April 17, but due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, New York courts haven't been accepting divorce filings — except in cases of emergency.
RELATED: Mary-Kate Olsen Files for Divorce from Husband Olivier Sarkozy: Report
Olsen says her attorneys received an email from Sarkozy's lawyers stating that she needed to move out of the couple's N.Y.C. apartment by May 18, according to TMZ reports. Olsen is asking that Sarkozy extend the deadline to May 30 — as she can't meet the deadline due to stay-at-home mandates in the city — but claims he hasn't responded. She also claims he terminated their lease without her knowledge.
The documents reportedly state that one way Olsen can protect her property is by filing the divorce petition, which would "trigger an automatic court order preventing him from disposing of her property." TMZ also reported that she requested in the divorce petition that their prenuptial agreement be enforced.
PEOPLE has reached out to Olsen's rep for comment. Sarkozy's company has not returned PEOPLE's request for comment.
Mary-Kate and Sarkozy tied the knot in November 2015 in a small ceremony that took place at a private residence in the couple’s home city of New York, according to the New York Post.
The couple first began dating in May 2012 and got engaged in early 2014. Although their 16-year age gap has raised eyebrows, Olsen has simply said: “Everyone has an opinion. I find it’s better to focus on what’s in front of you and to keep putting one foot in front of the other.”