We’ve made our predictions for what will be revealed on the 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? Season 4 Tell All special.
That special has already been filmed, however, on Mother’s Day weekend.
Fans were surprised — some were even shocked — when Jay Smith posted a genuinely sweet tribute to his ex, Ashley Martson.
Remember, she’s the mother of two children.
Now, Ashley tells In Touch Weekly that she doesn’t really take Jay’s post at face value.
If he’d really meant it, she says, he would have done things differently. …
Things are tense
Ashley and Jay are over, and it looks like Ashley would prefer that Jay keep her name out of his mouth — and off of his social media — for the time being.
On Sunday, Jay shocked fans by singing Ashley’s praises
“You are a kind, generous and loving human being,” Jay’s surprising Mother’s Day tribute began.
Then he dialed things up a notch.
Jay went on to call Ashley “a strong woman, and one that I am lucky to know and proud to love.” Notice that he said love, in the present tense.
It was all very sweet
“Happy Mother’s Day, @ashleye_90,” he concluded the now-deleted Instagram post.
It looked like a charming olive branch
A few weeks ago, Jay sounded a lot more defensive, insisting that he was not a “little boy” who would knock up a mistress, and suggesting that at least some of the reports of his cheating were blown out of proportion.
So was he trying to make nice?
No. Well, maybe. If he really wanted to make peace with Ashley, he did it in the wrong way.
Days later, Ashley has misgivings
“I wish he would’ve come to me personally,” Ashley now admits to In Touch Weekly in a new interview.
It wasn’t as sweet as it appeared
“For me,” Ashley explains. “It was kind of fake.”
Ashley Martson and Jay Smith: The Best is Yet to Come
“I didn’t hear from him on Mother’s Day,” Ashley reasons. That does tend to make a public post of showered affection seem a little less than legit, huh?
There is such a thing as “performative kindness”
It’s where celebrities — and sometimes regular folks — make a big show of wishing someone a happy birthday when things beneath the surface aren’t so good, or pose for a photo op helping the needy to rehabilitate their public image. That may be what was happening here.
Or maybe that’s not it at all …
Maybe Jay was trying to make amends, but knew that Ashley probably wouldn’t be thrilled to hear from him unless it was over something important. Sometimes, assuming that someone’s intentions were good can be harmless.
Was Ashley being unfair?
Jay may believe so. But we have to remember that these two only filed for divorce a few weeks ago. ALL of their feelings are still very fresh, and very raw.
Ashley has a lot about which to be angry
Let’s see … Jay cheated on her, downloading Tinder and video chatting with other girls just days after their wedding. He defended himself by saying that he was “bored.” Dude, there is no shortage of things to do, even if you haven’t made friends yet. Watch a new show, read a book, play a game. Maybe bang your new wife.
But eventually, Ashley let it slide
After a lot of soul-searching, they ended up staying together. Jay was with her through one health crisis and then another hospitalization. Together, they weathered accusations of “fraud” from fans.
And then …
On April 15, Ashley posted a major accusation on Instagram. She has accused Jay of cheating, but has strongly hinted that the depth of what he has done will leave fans “shocked.”
Some of that will play out in the Tell All special
The Season 4 Tell All special of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? was filmed last weekend. A whole lot has happened since the regular episodes were filmed, and Ashley is probably planning to (as is her contractual obligation) sit on her breakup secrets until that episode airs.
That adds another layer to this
Jay had just seen Ashley for the Tell All special filming, and before that, he’d seen her at their (booked seven months in advance) paid photoshoot on May 8. Maybe seeing her made him miss her and what they had shared together.
But it’s too late for that
Ashley saw Jay on those same times, but clearly she found his Mother’s Day tribute offputting and disingenuous. She’s been hurt too many times to open herself up to more pain right now. No matter Jay’s real intentions, we cannot fault her for wanting to guard her heart.