TLC’s hit franchise 90 Day Fiance thrives on drama, which is why Ashley Martson and Jay Smith’s divorce is impossible to ignore.
Fans may not be surprised to hear that Jay cheated yet again, but that doesn’t make it any less hurtful that he allegedly did so.
Ashley has hinted that there’s much more to this story than fans know, promising that America will be shocked when they learn what happened.
But cheating was definitely part of it, and she even mentions it in her divorce filing.
What’s more, Ashley has called out Jay’s alleged mistress on social media.
That’s not to say that she’s just seething about Jay’s betrayal. In fact, Ashley is already moving on with a brand new man.
It is SO over!
Ashley Martson and Jay Smith have split, are divorcing, and likely won’t even be in the same country for much longer.
The story of Ashley and Jay starts off so sweetly
Ashley was in Jamaica for a friend’s wedding when she spotted Jay in a nightclub.
The thirst was instant and real
She recalls seeing him there, dancing, towering over others. Being a hot number herself, the two clicked pretty quickly, and ended up deciding to marry.
They even held a wedding ceremony in Jamaica
The ceremony was non-binding, and was for the benefit of Jay’s family who wouldn’t be able to attend their wedding in the U.S.
Even before the wedding …
Ashley was warned that Jay may have cheated on her — possibly with two or more women. Ashley dismissed it at the time. She loved Jay, and she figured that she could overlook it if he cheated while he was in Jamaica. Surely, when he came to America and they were together, he’d no longer feel the need to stray, right?
They married in Vegas
Unfortunately, Jay for some reason downloaded Tinder, an app for dating and hookups and not much else, and started chatting up girls on it.
Ashley caught him
Jay was video chatting with a girl (who did not know that he was married, by the way) and making plans to meet up. Just because he got caught before any actual extramarital boning doesn’t mean that he didn’t cheat.
But she gave him another chance
On the 90 Day Fiance Tell All special, Ashley explained that she felt responsible for Jay and figured that it was worth it to give him another chance. Millions of spouses try to make it work with a cheater, and at least Jay hadn’t physically cheated, right?
Things seemed to improve
They weathered a fraud scandal together after fans discovered that Jay was running an Instagram account that head “leaked” the couple’s photos. It turned out to be complicated, as they’d just taken the account to get in front of actual leakers who’d tried to embarrass them.
Ashley was also seriously ill
Ashley was hospitalized twice — the first time, after losing consciousness. Ashley has lupus, a debilitating autoimmune disease that attacks her own organs. Jay was there by her side, seemingly full of concern, even after she filed for divorce on January 11.
That filing was short-lived
Perhaps she had already had second thoughts or maybe it was Jay’s bedside manner, but after just 11 days, Ashley quashed the divorce. Things seemed to be going well.
But social media doesn’t show everything
Previews of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? showed that, even after she took Jay back, Ashley was given bad news, possibly from Jay’s own friends and acquaintances. Was he cheating on her already?
Seriously, something went down
Fans do not yet know what went down to cause the police to show up at Jay and Ashley’s, but it’s hard to imagine that it was something good.
Then Ashley dropped a bombshell
On April 15, Ashley took to her Instagram Stories to strongly hint that Jay had been straying and to taunt him over his looming deportation.
Ashley kicked Jay out of the house
She later revealed that he was living in her hotel, but was no longer living in her home.
They’re barely on speaking terms
It sounds like they keep in touch for paperwork but are no longer on friendly terms. One might even describe it as hostile terms. That’s pretty fair, all things considered.
And the line about deportation was no joke
Jay has a deportation hearing scheduled for May 8 … which happens to be a day on which Ashley hopes to hire a male model. We don’t know the context, but we can’t shake the image of Ashley showing up in the gallery at court with some outrageous hottie on her arm, just to remind Jay of what he’s missing.
She also filed for divorce
Five pages of her divorce filing were revealed to fans thanks to 90 Day Fiance blogger John Yates.
A lot of it is just pretty standard legal stuff
We found out that Ashley changed her last name to Smith when she married Jay.
Also, Jay’s name isn’t Jay
His name is Conroy Smith. Considering that 90 Day Fiance castmate Azan Tefou isn’t named Azan OR Tefou, that’s fine. Everyone has their reasons.
But one detail caught the attention of fans
The fifth page of her divorce filing confirms that Ashley has leveled a very specific accusation against Jay
She accuses him of “adultery”
It’s right there on the page, which means that Jay must have — allegedly — banged at least one other woman during his marriage to Ashley. She gave him SO MANY CHANCES.
But there’s more to it
In multiple social media posts, including this update to her Instagram Stories, Ashley strongly suggests that there’s more to this cheating scandal than anyone knows or even guesses.
“America will be shocked”
Ashley apologizes that she can’t say more than that fans will be stunned when they learn the truth, which suggests that there’s a lot more going on than a known cheater cheating.
By the way…
Ashley says that the reason for which she can’t say more is because ‘we’re still filming.” Her saying this in April is causing a lot of people to have more questions, because one assumes that principal photography for Happily Ever After? wrapped months ago. Is she referring to the Tell All special, or to something else?
One of the rumors about Jay was explosive
Jay has shot down the claim that he knocked up his side piece, insisting that he’s not a “little boy” who would do such a thing. A woman had claimed on social media that she was pregnant with his child and due in October.
Speaking of Jay’s side pieces, however …
At the very end of April, Ashley took to Instagram to furiously accuse a woman of being Jay’s mistress.
She calls her out as a “homewrecker”
We’re absolutely sympathetic with Ashley’s plight, but fans have correctly pointed out that Jay deserves the ire, not this woman. As we saw with Colt Johnson’s cheating scandal in late 2018, even moderately famous men can make believable claims about their marriage being over or just a sham for TV.
Of course, maybe Ashley’s anger is justified
We don’t know what kind of message Ashley received. Maybe it was apologetic, or maybe it was something cruel. Either way, Ashley eventually thought better of her Instagram post and deleted it. Naturally, the internet is forever.
Ashley has more important things to worry about
She has her life, her health, and her kids — she’s a devoted mother. She doesn’t need to be forced to agonize about which women Jay may have banged — but reports say that Jay was apparently with this woman for months.
Now, it’s Ashley’s turn
Free from a dishonest marriage to a cheater, she has revealed that she’s dating someone new.
It’s no surprise that she’s moving on
Ashley is super hot, confident, and she knows what she wants. That’s how she landed a younger guy in the first place.
She bounced back
“It’s nothing serious,” Ashley revealed at her birthday party last week. “[I] have found someone.”
She’s better off without Jay
“I’m in a much better place right now,” she added. “And surrounding myself with someone who’s honest and treats me well.”
Is this her new man?
He’s hot but, for the record, this is New York Giants running back Michael Cox. Ashley captioned her post “I love New York,” which may just mean that she’s a fan who snagged a selfie with a famous athlete. (But she also used a two-hearts emoji, so we can understand why people are jumping to conclusions)
She actually snapped photos with a lot of people
Ashley also met Bono last week, and we feel like it’s (probably) safe to say that they’re not dating, either.
Still, she’s “devastated”
Just because Ashley is a strong person — who has endured cheating, trolls, lupus, and also a harrowing kidnapping when she was 19 — doesn’t mean that she’s not still hurting. Her love for Jay, and their marriage, was very real.
She can use all of the support right now
Knowing that there are people out there who are rooting for you can make a world of difference.