NEED TO KNOW
Alix Earle’s parents, Thomas and Alisa, divorced following Thomas’s 2008 affair with Ashley Dupré
Earlier that year, Ashley was the subject of a sex scandal with former New York governor Eliot Spitzer
Ashley and Thomas got married in 2013 and share three children: Izabel, Penelope and Thomas James Earle II
Alix Earle has a lot of love for her stepmom, Ashley Dupré.
“[We’re] super close, and we’ve gotten to such a good point,” the TikTok star told Elle in August 2023. “Whatever’s happened in the past, we’ve all gotten past it as a family.”
Her stepmom married Alix’s father, Thomas “TJ” Earle, in 2013. They’ve welcomed three children throughout their marriage — Izabel, Penelope and Thomas James Earle II — in addition to Thomas’ two daughters — Alix and Ashtin Earle — from his previous marriage to Alisa Earle.
Before becoming a part of the Earles’ blended “very modern family,” Ashley was involved in a highly-publicized sex scandal with former governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, in 2008. That same year, she and Thomas had an affair, which led to the end of his marriage with Alisa.
Alix said during a September 2024 episode of her podcast Hot Mess that she and her sister initially felt a lot of hostility toward Ashley. But eventually, they began to view her like a “sister.”
“I don’t want people to think that … our parents got divorced and we were like, ‘Hey, we’re a big perfect family,’ because it was like years and years of us fighting and hashing it out to get to this point that we’re at, and I’m very grateful that we’re here,” she said,
So, who is Alix Earle’s stepmom? Here’s everything to know about Ashley Dupré.
She’s from New Jersey
Ashley Earle/Instagram
Ashley Earle in April 2024.
Ashley, a New Jersey native, told The New York Times that she ran away from her home at 17 years old to live in New York City, where she hoped to pursue a music career. Instead, she started working for an escort service, where she met Spitzer.
The then 23-year-old told PEOPLE in November 2008 that the worst part of the whole scandal was when her mother found out. “It was extremely painful for her,” she said, noting that her mother “wasn’t angry” but “supportive.”
She is an influencer
Jason LaVeris/Getty
Ashley Dupre attends the Lemon Basket restaurant grand opening on May 11, 2011 in West Hollywood, California.
Like Alix, Ashley also shares her life on social media. In addition to posting photos of her family outings on Instagram, she also opens up about her life as a mom to over 300,000 followers on TikTok.
In July 2025, she shared a funny throwback video from 2016 when Alix and Ashtin were teenagers and accidentally got locked out of the family’s mansion. The video shows the teens banging on the door with their shoes and laughing as they honk their car horns at 1 a.m.
“TJ and I take sleep very seriously,” Ashley captioned the video. “As you can see here. We live in a castle so you really can’t hear anything. We didn’t have a doorbell in 2016. lol. 1930’s old stone house.”
She added that though the family had a “system” to get around the doorbell issue, the girls decided not to use it that night. “Not sure why they didn’t do it here and not sure how they ended up at home…” Ashley continued, “but lol. Core memories. 😂💗.”
She was involved in a sex scandal with a former N.Y. governor
Amy Sussman/Getty
Ashley Dupree attends the Yigal Azrouel Womenswear Fall 2009 fashion show on February 13, 2009 in New York City.
Ashley became the subject of national scrutiny after an FBI investigation named her as an escort Spitzer had hired in March 2008. Spitzer later resigned, and his wife divorced him the following year.
That same year, she had an affair with Thomas, which put Alix’s family in the spotlight. The social media star recalled during a September 2023 episode of Call Her Daddy how she didn’t realize until years later that her family had been hiding her from the paparazzi.
“I had been reading articles about what had happened, about the times my dad has taken me to go get ice cream and it’s really because there’s paparazzi outside my house and he’s hiding us from them,” Alix said, noting that she was in elementary school at the time. “I felt like my world crashed down in that moment.”
She married Thomas in 2013
Ashley Earle/Instagram
Ashley Earle with her family in November 2024.
Five years after the affair, the couple got married on Oct. 13, 2013, while in Paris. On Hot Mess, Alix said that she and Ashtin didn’t attend the wedding and that her father told them one day on the drive to school.
“My dad was driving us to school in the morning … and he turns around in the car,” Alix recalled. “He’s like, ‘Hey. So you know how Ashley and I took a trip to Paris last week?’ And we were like, ‘Yeah.’ And he’s like, ‘So, you know, we got married.’ “
At first, Alix said she and her little sister weren’t very welcoming of Ashley and would fill her shoes with toothpaste and serve her a garlic clove disguised as a chocolate-covered strawberry. But eventually, they accepted her into the family.
“Now that my family is so well blended and they get along so well I get to do all these events in my life where it’s my mom, my dad, my little siblings and my stepmom,” Alix said on Call Her Daddy.
She continued, “It’s a new feeling because it’s a different type of family to me but having my mom around with my dad, it’s just that feeling is the best feeling in the entire world.”
She’s a mom of three
Alix Earle Instagram
Alix Earle and her siblings Thomas, Penelope and Izabel.
Thomas and Ashley share three children together. They welcomed Izabel in November 2012 before their wedding and Penelope was born in September 2015. Thomas arrived two years later in April 2017.
In addition to her three children, Ashley’s also gotten closer to the two daughters Thomas shares with Alisa. She paid Alix a sweet tribute on Instagram for her 15th birthday in 2015 and called her “the most amazing Big Sister and Step Daughter.”
“Alix you have made and continue to make my life so much better everyday,” she wrote. “I am so lucky to have you in my life. And I am so proud of the person you are and continue to grow to be. I love you.”
Alix said her stepmom helped her deal with public scrutiny
Alexander Tamargo/Getty
Alex Earle celebrates her University of Miami graduation with her family
In her 2023 interview with Elle, Alix said she sought help from Ashley when she felt overwhelmed by her life in the public eye.
“One time I was overwhelmed about something of mine and I called my dad,” she said. “He was like, ‘You should really talk to Ashley about this. She has dealt with this before, stuff in the media.’ It’s brought us closer because she’s able to guide me through it.”
Alix said her stepmom’s advice was that “life goes on” and that “not everything is as crazy as it feels in the moment.”
Read the original article on People