The Big Picture

Ashley kept her dating life private before the divorce was final, and is now ready to date again.
Ashley supports Gizelle Bryant’s fashion choices despite critics, and defends her cast mates.
Season 9 Portrays Ashley as independent after divorce, most stable, and unproblematic character.

Ashley Darby is living her best life as Season 9 begins on The Real Housewives of Potomac. The former Miss District of Columbia 2011 joined the cast in season one, but she was a much different woman over a decade ago. When RHOP fans met Ashley, she was four years past competing and losing the Miss America pageant, and had been scooped up by a restaurant tycoon 29 years her senior. The reality star transitioned seamlessly to being a kept woman with a privileged lifestyle and a socially elite group of friends. In RHOP’s inception in 2016, Ashley’s 20-something eyes had stars in them, as she was head over heels about the life she’d carefully created. Named as an official cast member in the Real Housewives franchise and married to her own version of Daddy Warbucks in Michael Darby, Ashley had realized the dream of being a millennial black American princess. In the first few seasons, Ashley was determined to solidify her financial future by having a baby with her husband.

Ashley’s early focus was on birthing babies, but her cast mates were suspicious of her much older husband’s intentions. The news of Ashley’s first pregnancy was almost overshadowed by the rumors swirling about Michael’s indiscretions with other women and coupled with alleged flirtatious and inappropriate behavior toward some men. Eventually, Ashley acknowledged there were issues in her marriage and confirmed Michael’s infidelity. Ashley admitted that early on the couple enjoyed somewhat of an open marriage, having escapades with some of her friends for fun. After having her first son, Dean, Ashley no longer desired to participate in threesomes, etc. and wanted a more traditional lifestyle. Michael agreed to be monogamous, but wasn’t able to keep his word. By the time Ashley gave birth to her second son, Dylan, her relationship with Michael had all but ended. Ashley had determined divorce was the couple’s only option, but wasn’t sure how she was going to manage without Michael’s money. Ashley and Michael separated, but Ashley remained dependent on his money for years after the marriage was over. Ashley’s cast members criticized her for drawing the divorce out, but she stuck to her resolve and shooed the other women out of her business.

Ashley Kept Her Dating Life on the Low Before Her Divorce Was Final
Image via Bravo

As season 9 opens, Ashley is excited to be officially single and ready to get back into the dating world. “Don’t get it twisted, I’ve been outside, doing my thing. I just kept things quiet because the divorce wasn’t final,” Ashley laughs with Collider. This season will showcase Ashley as a single woman back on the dating scene getting to know eligible bachelors that may be more age appropriate this time around. Fans of RHOP have lamented Ashley wasting her mid-20’s and early 30’s on a much older man that didn’t match her energy. Michael’s numerous scandals being exposed on blogs and on social media were embarrassing for Ashley, but she always managed to hold her head high. Her divorce being final allows her to have the security provided by Michael’s ongoing child support, while giving her a second chance at finding a more appropriate love interest.

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Ashley Says Her Business Life Is Thriving Post-Split From Michael Darby
Image via Bravo

Embracing more than just the new season of Potomac and her dating life, Ashley shared excitement about finding her independence and her new business, GNA, with business partner and cast mate Gizelle Bryant. Although Gizelle has been accused of being messy and the least fashionable among the cast, Ashley is confident about her working relationship with the remaining 1/2 of the green-eyed bandits and even defends her fashion faux pas. “I hear what people say about Gizelle’s fashions, but I like how she dresses. I think we’re going to be fine.” Gizelle wasn’t the only cast mate that Ashley felt the need to defend after feedback from the first few episodes. Mia Thornton has received scathing feedback after it was revealed that her oldest son could belong to her current boyfriend Inc. “Mia does things her own way. She marches to the beat of her own drum. She makes some decisions that I probably wouldn’t have made, but I know she loves her children,” she shares.

Ashley is so far removed from being married but separated from Michael that she threw some shade at new cast mate Stacey Rusch for living with her estranged husband while having a relationship with her best friend. “Stacey needs to figure out what she is doing,” she confided to producers during a confessional after Stacey came clean with Ashley about not wanting her 9-year-old daughter to know her parents were divorcing. Ashley should be able to offer Stacey sound advice in terms of co-parenting children after divorce. “I wouldn’t say Michael and I are friends now, but we are cordial, and we are co-parenting well,” she says, hopefully.

With Karen’s DUI scandal, Mia’s paternity woes, Wendy’s internal midlife crisis, and new addition Stacey’s family drama setting the tone for season 9 of RHOP, Ashley is sitting pretty as the most unproblematic this season. With her divorce and toxic co-parenting days behind her, Ashley is showing up as her own woman for the first time in Potomac. At 36, the former beauty queen has the world in the palm of her hand. This season is more of a coming of age opportunity for Ashley as it’s the first time she is showing up as her own woman. RHOP fans will undoubtedly get a front row seat to Ashley becoming reacquainted with herself in real time.

Watch the full video interview with Ashley above, and on our YouTube channel.

The Real Housewives of Potomac airs every Sunday on Bravo. Episodes can be streamed on Peacock.

The Real Housewives of Potomac We follow the lives of 6 women residents of Potomac, Maryland, each in various stages of life and affluence, shaping their community and their lives.Release Date January 17, 2016 Cast Gizelle Bryant , Karen Huger , Robyn Dixon , Ashley Darby Seasons 8 Creator(s) Scott Dunlop , Tom Ciaccio

Stream on Peacock