Ashley Martson: TLC Barely Paid Me for All My Pain and Suffering!
by Simon Delott at .It was weeks after Ashley Martson announced her (latest) split with cheating husband Jay Smith that she admitted the truth:
Yes, Jay had cheated again. She apologized for lying to fans.
Now, the 90 Day Fiance alum is opening up about how she's feeling nearly two months into this new divorce.
She confirms that she has filed for divorce again, sharing how she is coping with her seemingly unending marital saga.
Ashley shares her thoughts on getting "even" with Jay.
It's unclear if her plan will work.
She has also answered a fan's question, totally slamming TLC for what many in the industry describe as shockingly low pay for stars of such a successful franchise.
1. Ashley is ... coping
In a set of new social media posts, she is sharing how she is both celebrating and coping with her latest divorce filing, her thoughts on getting even with Jay, and slamming TLC for how insultingly little 90 Day Fiance stars are paid.
2. Ashley and Jay's marriage had a lot of low points
They got married and he cheated. They stayed married and he cheated. They broke up, reconciled, and he cheated. They broke up for months then secretly reconciled ... and he cheated once again. For some reason, Ashley blamed herself, "feeling like a failure" after the marriage once again fell apart.
3. But it was over
Ashley openly begged Jay to just sign the divorce papers, something that he had refused to do after every other breakup, so that Ashley could get her closure and move on.
4. He signed the papers!
At the very end of 2019, Jay signed the divorce docs ... but it was a trick. He sabotaged the documents by getting the date wrong, leaving Ashley back at square one. For a while, though, she focused on moving on.
5. She even joked about her "next" boyfriend
Ashley said that her next man would need a background check. That's not a bad idea at all, though "compulsive, remorseless cheater" likely wouldn't show up on any formal documents.
6. About that ...
In March, as the US entered lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic, Ashley used a TikTok challenge to reveal that she was back with Jay.
7. SURELY she was trolling ... right?
We hoped so, too. That maybe she was using old footage, or had finally amicably divorced Jay and they had made the video just to turn the 90 Day Fiance world upside down.
8. Or just sheltering in place together?
Shockingly to many fans, Ashley had decided -- for reasons that only she knows -- to give Jay an unbelievable, what, fifth chance?
9. They were even talking about the future
In April, Ashley and Jay were discussing the possibility -- an admittedly slight one -- of having a child together. Ashley's eggs were frozen for just such an occassion.
10. Their reconciliation paid dividends
Well, for Jay. Ashley shelled out tens of thousands of dollars to set up her no-longer-estranged husband with his life's dream -- his very own tattoo shop.
11. And a major milestone
In August, Ashley celebrated her three-year anniversary with Jay, even clapping back at the fans who chose to troll her comments.
12. One month later
On September 19, Ashley took to Instagram to share that it was once again over.
13. Weirdly ...
She claimed that Jay had not cheated this time -- the only thing shocking about their breakup, really.
14. She even seemed to blame herself
Ashley held herself at fault for not being able to "let go" of Jay's many, many wrongdoings during the history of their marriage. That was alarming to read, because holding someone accountable for their wrongdoings is a sign of moral clarity.
15. She's making a clean break
Ashley is determined to cut all ties with her ex -- both personal and business.
16. She owns that tattoo shop
However, Ashley reveals, she will transfer the business to Jay. That is very generous of her.
17. She's deep in her feelings about it
Ashley told her fans and followers how much she had poured into trying to make that toxic marriage work, to no avail.
18. Also, she lied
When she said that he didn't cheat again, she wasn't being honest. He was getting back with a former mistress, because of course he was.
19. OUCH
Ashley spent a whopping $30,000 trying to help her man live his dreams when he couldn't even stay monogamous for more than 6 months.
20. She regrets her fib
Ashley was embarrassed that her notorious cheating husband had once again cheated, which is why she didn't tell fans initially.
21. She's moving on
And Ashley seems to be in a much better and healthier state of mind these days ... and is even answering more fan questions.
22. How much did TLC pay her for her troubles?
Ashley now confirms that her time on 90 Day Fiance did not pay well, quipping that she could have made more in a year "flipping burgers for Burger King." Fast food workers can make from $10,000 to a little over $20,000 per year on average, because of decades of vicious wage stagnation. But 90 Day Fiance stars can make as little as $1,000 per episode and not much more than that. Bizarre how little such a successful show pays its stars.
23. She's not out for revenge
Ashley reflects in, obviously, her fustercluck of a marriage. She doesn't want to "get even" with Jay. She hopes that karma or his conscience -- if he has one -- will get at him instead. That seems like a healthy mindset.
24. She's coping
Ashley has once again filed for divorce and is hopefully just joking about using alcohol as a coping strategy. We don't have to understand why she poured so much time and energy into a doomed marriage to recognize how devastated she is that all of that effort didn't pay off. Let's hope that, this time, she gets her divorce.
