How Ashley Olsen Managed to Hide Her Pregnancy From ‘A Lot of Friends’

Ashley Olsen welcomed her first child with her husband Louis Eisner, baby boy Otto, a couple of months ago, TMZ revealed yesterday. In the wake of that news, a source spoke to Entertainment Tonight about how Olsen’s pregnancy wasn’t just a public secret, but one a lot of her friends didn’t know about either. That was on purpose, the source said.

“She kept her pregnancy secret from a lot of friends and colleagues. Only a small circle knew,” the source said, noting Olsen spent a lot of time in the Hamptons with Eisner, which helped her fly under the radar, and of course, Olsen’s signature oversized looks helped, too. Her family did know, and they are all “beyond excited to have a new addition to the family.”

Olsen and Eisner have managed to keep their romantic relationship, which reportedly started in 2017, almost complete private. A source did reveal to Entertainment Tonight that marriage was very important to Olsen.

“Having a family has always been a priority for Ashley and Louis,” the source said. “Even though her upbringing was anything but typical, she does like some of the more traditional things. For example, they wanted to be married first before starting a family.”

Olsen, of course, was a child star with her twin sister Mary-Kate. They now run the luxury fashion line The Row. In June 2021, Olsen spoke about why the two don’t like being the visible faces of it.

“We really didn’t want to be in front of it,” she said. “We didn’t necessarily even want to let people know it was us, in a way. I mean, it was one of those things where it was really about the product, to the point where we’re like, ‘Who could we get to kind of front this so we don’t have to?’ I think, to this day, you’ll see we really put the product first.”

Senior News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.