Here's Why Ashley Darby Says She's Not Yet Divorced Yet
The former Miss District of Columbia admitted to "dragging" her feet as she and the father of her two children face divorce.
Questions surrounding the status of Ashley Darby’s marriage continue on The Real Housewives of Potomac, but the Housewife gave viewers a little bit of insight in the season premiere.
Since the mother of two announced her separation from her husband in the spring of 2022, the couple’s marital status “still remains a hot topic” among the other Potomac Housewives. Ahead of the RHOP premiere of Season 8 — now airing Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo and Peacock — Ashley’s bio stated that she “contemplates the life of a single mother and the financial challenges that lie ahead.”
Ashley said earlier this year on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that she and her estranged husband were having “a hard time,” especially in terms of navigating the world of co-parenting.
But here's the update she gave in the RHOP Season 8 pemiere:
Why Ashley Darby Isn't Divorced
During a video call with Gizelle Bryant, Ashley simply said “no” when asked if she and her ex were technically divorced.
Gizelle questioned Ashley about a recent trip to the Bahamas, claiming she was D.M.’d a photo proving Ashley and her ex recently vacationed together. Ashley said the trip went “really good” but that the estranged couple “went as co-parents, as friends” with their shared sons, Dylan Darby and Dean Michael Darby.
Ashley admitted she and her ex were still “hashing out” the details of their separation but that “for the most part,” the pair agreed on “the big things.”
“Complete honesty, I’m still dragging my feet quite a bit with my divorce,” Ashley told producers. “It’s pretty hard.”
As discussed throughout Season 7 and the Season 7 reunion, the couple’s pre-nuptial agreement was no longer valid.
“According to the prenup, I’m not allowed to get alimony,” she told Andy at the reunion.
Initially, Ashley would have been entitled to a lump sum payout should the marriage not pass the three-year mark (as seen in this “awkward” reworking of the document). The window was extended to five years before it eventually expired, though Ashley was expected to receive 50 percent of their assets in the event of divorce, as explained when the pair discussed a postnuptial agreement in Season 5.
In October 2020, Ashley appeared on WWHL and stated she had yet to sign the post-nups. However, based on what she said in the RHOP Season 8 premiere, although Ashley isn’t getting any alimony, her ex isn’t leaving her empty-handed.
“He helped pay for the down payment on my house, for example,” Ashley told Gizelle. “He does pay child support … it’s not alimony, but he’s not leaving my high or dry or anything.”
Ashley’s new home is in her estranged husband’s name
No longer living in her ex’s penthouse, the former Miss District of Columbia took audiences into her new $2 million-plus “seaside in the city” home, equipped with all the “coastal chic” décor a person could ask for.
“I love it; it’s really just my little slice of Heaven,” Ashley said in the recent episode. “Now I am paying for it; I just had to get my ass out of the penthouse right then.”
Ashley said life is “definitely different” living in the house as a full-time mom, though she does have help from Daisy, the nanny. Discussing the new digs with RHOP producers, Ashley admitted that her estranged husband’s name is on the mortgage.
But she insisted her ex does not have a room at the new residence and has only visited a handful of times.
“I don’t know what will happen with [him] and me financially until we’re fully divorced,” said Ashley. “I’m not in any rush, necessarily, to take [his] name off the mortgage, you know? There’s that little bit of security where if something goes wrong, he’s there to also help me.”
Watch all-new episodes of The Real Housewives of Potomac on Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo and streaming the next day on Peacock.
