Jay Smith and Ashley Martson from 90 Day Fiancé had the saddest endings in season 6. Fans of the franchise watched intently as the 30-something mother of two fell hard for the then 19-year-old Jamaican heartthrob. Things weren’t always so contentious between the couple. In the beginning of their whirlwind romance, Ashley and Jay were a spicy May-December romance that started while she attended a wedding in his island nation. Overcome by their attraction to one another, Martson started the K-1 Visa process to bring her man to the States.
On the show, she delighted in planning her wedding to the teen groom. However, the couple’s original ceremony was scrapped after racist comments and death threats surfaced in advance of their ceremony. The couple eloped instead. Things then started to unravel when Ashley discovered Jay was communicating with other women using dating apps. She confronted her husband and sought additional information about his behavior from his paramour. Although she was told by the younger woman in question that their communication was innocent, Ashley was not convinced. Her fears and insecurities began to permeate their story line.
However, vindication eventually came from the most unlikely source: a cell phone video. After enduring months and months of Jay’s lies, Ashley appealed to his friends at the barber shop where he worked. There, she learned that Jay had engaged in a sexual act with a woman in the restroom during business hours. In a stunning moment on the show, Jay’s friend Kendell came clean to Ashley about her husband’s affair. She was stoic until she was shown a video of her spouse being physically reprimanded for his behavior.
Ashley banned Jay from their home, and forced him to pack his belongings. She lamented to friends and throughout the show her shock, anger, and disappointment in Jay and their relationship. Ashley visited with an attorney and filed paperwork to dissolve the marriage. By the end of the series, she was alone again. Then, adding insult to injury, Ashley later confessed (in a follow-up episode) that she was battling lupus. Being alone and sick made her feel vulnerable, and left the door open for Jay to come back into the picture as her caretaker. Ashley appeared to have difficulty sharing the news of their reconciliation during her 90 Day Fiancé in-show confessional. She withdrew her petition for divorce and decided to give the marriage another shot.
But the reunion was short-lived. Jay’s infidelities continued. Ashley proceeded with the dissolution of their marriage in early 2019. Then, in an exclusive interview with E! in June 2019, Ashley confessed that she was checking into rehab to deal with depression stemming from a sexual assault she survived in 2005. She told the outlet that she’s not interested in working things out, despite Jay’s enthusiasm, and would rather focus on moving on.
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