Andrea Barber defends Fuller House‘s jokes about Michelle’s absence. When Netflix’s Full House sequel series was greenlit, most of the original cast members were confirmed to appear – except for the youngest Tanner sister. Over the years, fans hoped that somehow, she’ll show up in any capacity, but even as the series wrapped up, Michelle is still nowhere to be seen.

Played alternately by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in Full House, the character was integral in the show’s narratives. Thanks to the twins’ perfect comedic timing and charm, Michelle quickly became a fan-favorite, no wonder viewers were looking forward to reuniting with her in Fuller House. The Olsens’ absence was not for the lack of trying from the spinoff’s creatives. Show creator Jeff Franklin, as well as series star and producer John Stamos, were open about their attempts to convince the sisters to partake in the project, but with no luck. Apparently, while Ashley didn’t have any intention of returning in front of the camera, Mary-Kate briefly considered the gig but ultimately passed on it.

Instead of mulling over Michelle’s absence, Fuller House opted to use it as the butt of several jokes in its five-year-run. The final one was delivered by Kimmy (Barber) in the penultimate episode as she, DJ (Candace Cameron-Bure), and Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) rummage through their old stuff in the house’s attic  for their weddings’ “something old” and “something borrowed.” Kimmy spots Michelle’s bike and asks her friends when they’re going to get rid of it because, if their sister hadn’t picked it up yet, she wasn’t coming while looking straight to the camera. It’s a meta-comment, telling viewers to not get their hopes up about Michelle showing up. It drew laughs, but not everyone is exactly thrilled with these jabs. Nevertheless, Barber defends them in a recent interview with TV Line:

“Michelle gets at least one little poke per season, so we had to do it one last time. It’s not meant to be mean, obviously. It’s all good-natured, in good spirits. We poke fun at everybody.”

Fuller House‘s explanation of Michelle’s absence mines inspiration from the Olsens’ real-life job as owners of brands like The Row and Elizabeth & James. Apparently, the reason why the youngest Tanner sister is never around is because she’s now based in New York where she runs her fashion empire. Fans bought the explanation, but it got more difficult to believe that Michelle couldn’t take any time off to spend special moments with her family considering the core principle of both Full House and its spinoff. Eventually, Fuller House stopped trying to include her in their stories with Danny (Bob Saget) even making a comment about Kimmy taking over her spot as his third daughter. The Netflix series didn’t provide an explanation of why Michelle’s not coming to her sisters’ wedding – in fact, she’s not even mentioned in the final season except for that final Kimmy jab, which is obviously disappointing for loyal fans.

Granted that there’s slim to no chance of the Olsens boarding Fuller House, the Netflix series could’ve found other ways to incorporate Michelle other than making fun of her. Out of its five seasons, she’s only mentioned a handful of times, and most cases, it was simply to make a meta-comment about the twins refusing to reprise the role. If anything, they could’ve at least been more proactive in factoring her in the final season – perhaps she takes care of her sisters’ wedding dresses since she’s a fashion designer. They could’ve staged a call where she apologetically informs them that she can’t be home on DJ and Stephanie’s wedding day.