Ashley Earle Says She Was 'Reckless' in Affair with Alix Earle's Dad After Eliot Spitzer Scandal

Ashley Earle is telling her side of the story, and she’s not skipping the parts that make her look bad. In a new op-ed for Elle, Alix Earle’s stepmom said her 2008 romance with Thomas“TJ”Earle, Alix’s dad, was“reckless”and that the relationship“crossed a line”while he was still married to his then-wife, Alisa. The timing is what makes it a story: 2008 was the same year Ashley, then known as Ashley Dupré, was exposed as the escort“Kristen”in the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal that ended the New York governor’s career.

In the essay, Ashley writes that she was young, wanted money and independence, and had spent years in survival mode, which made her good at compartmentalizing. She says her choices“affected and hurt other people,”and that she can own all of it without it being the most interesting thing about her forever. TJ has said the affair was“all my fault.”Ashley and TJ married in 2013, have three children, and appear alongside Alix and Ashtin on Alix’s Netflix show“Earle Meets World,”where the family has discussed the affair on camera, including Alix once saying she wanted to“rip [Dupré’s] head off.”

The internet’s reaction is predictably split: some are calling it real accountability, others are calling it a well-timed narrative reset. Either way, it’s a reminder that even the glossiest influencer families come with history.

Do you think writing this essay was the right move for Ashley? Drop your take in the comments.