Mary-Kate Olsen's Alleged Ex Sean Avery Sets the Record Straight About Their Relationship in Rare Interview

Mary-Kate Olsen has stayed out of the spotlight since stepping away from acting — until now.

Just one year after being photographed with Sean Avery, the ex-hockey player addressed the status of their alleged romance in a rare interview.

"We've been friends for 20 years," he told an outlet in an interview published on Tuesday, August 12. "That's a long time relationship. We were like kids in New York growing up together."

The athlete, 45, reportedly laughed off the buzz about him dating Olsen.

"That's the beauty of social media now and the algorithm," he said. "And I embrace all of that because anything that kicked that algo, you got to get that algorithm going. That's the name of the game. Of course people are always going to speculate, especially with her. She's an icon."

Avery had nothing but kind words for the actress and her sister, Ashley.

"What I will say is that, what an incredible example of somebody that has reinvented herself many times," he expressed. "She's one of the OGs and the two of them, what they've done with their career under the scrutiny, like, as an athlete, as an artist, as an actor, I have nothing... I mean, the two of them are incredible."

The alleged couple was first spotted in the Hamptons during Memorial Day weekend in 2024. They flew under the radar as they strolled through Amagansett, N.Y., together. The Full House alum wore a long camel-colored coat, while Sean sported a black hoodie, gray joggers and a backward baseball cap. Dating rumors first sparked back in 2007, when they had a brief fling.

Mary-Kate was married to French banker Olivier Sarkozy from 2015 to 2021.

She was romantically linked to Brightwire CEO John Cooper the same year she finalized her divorce. In February 2021, the duo enjoyed a romantic dinner at Estiatorio Milos in New York City. They were seen sipping wine and indulging in seafood before exiting the eatery in face masks.

Mary-Kate and Ashley are far from their former public personas. Four years ago, they called themselves "discreet people," which is "how they were raised." Even when it comes to their fashion brand, The Row, the sisters try not to make themselves the center of attention.

"We didn't want to be in front of it, we didn't necessarily even want to let people know it was us," Ashley explained. "It was really about the product, to the point where we were like: Who could we get to front this so that we don't have to?"