Ashley Darby From “Real Housewives Of Potomac” Filed To Separate From Husband Michael Darby
Hallelujah! Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley Darby has filed to separate from her husband of eight years, Aussie millionaire pervert Michael Darby. 62-year-old Michael is one of the most hated husbands in Housewives history. And 33-year-old Ashley announced their separation in the middle of filming the show’s seventh season, which means that fans get to see the split played out on our TV screens. Thank you, Ashley, for your continued commitment to drama and messiness.
Break-up rumors began swirling yesterday, and Ashley didn’t waste any time confirming them to Bravo TV, via E!:
“Almost eight years ago, when Michael and I said ‘I do,’ we anticipated sharing every single day together from that moment forward,” she said in a statement. “Unfortunately, that is not our current reality. We have decided to separate.”
She said they are aware that fans will speculate about the reason behind their breakup. “People will be quick to assume that the causes were too much intrusion by reality TV into the most personal parts of our lives, age gap issues, cultural problems, or child-rearing differences,” Ashley said. “Pieces of all these may have affected our pure love for each other, but no one reason is the root cause of our mutual decision to go our separate ways.”
She instead said they are both at “very different stages in our lives and have different goals for our futures,” adding, “We both want the other to achieve true happiness and fulfillment and feel that we cannot do this together.”
Ashley and Michael have two sons, 2-year-old Dean and 13-month-old Dylan. Right before Ashley’s statement was released, she posted this video to her Instagram Stories:
Ashley letting us know EXACTLY what vibe she is on rn @_AshleyDarby #RHOP pic.twitter.com/WGrlmLkyxl
— TheBravoThem🌈 (@BravoThem) April 19, 2022
Fans on social media rejoiced, and many pointed to this Real Housewives of Potomac clip from 2017 when Ashley agreed to alter her prenup. When the couple first got married in 2014, the prenup stated that if the marriage lasted more than 3 years, Ashley would get half of Michael’s money (which Google says is approximately $20 million). If they split before the 3-year-mark, she would receive a “lump sum.” But after 3 years of marriage, Michael decided he wanted to extend the “Ashley gets half!” clause to 5 years (which would have run out around 2019). She signed. Five years and two kids later, she’s out!
To truly understand Ashley’s victory, you need a brief history of all things Michael Darby. Michael is… the fucking worst. He’s a businessman real estate investor-type originally from Australia, with two other kids from a previous marriage. Michael met Ashley when she was bartending at a lounge he co-owned when she was in her early twenties. He would have been in his fifties. The two married in 2014 and appeared on the first season of The Real Housewives of Potomac in 2016.
Here is a brief rundown of just some of the shit Michael’s pulled over the last 6 years:
-in the first season he grabbed cast member Katie Rost’s then-fiancé’s ass while dancing. Not a huge deal, right? Well, keep reading…
-in the second season he got wasted and multiple Housewives heard him say he wanted to suck Juan Dixon’s dick (partner to cast member Robyn Dixon). He denied it, but this is when the “Michael is gay” rumors really get started.
–in the third season, after getting back together after a trial separation, Michael told Ashley that he didn’t think she was ready to have a baby because he didn’t want her to “look after my children” the way Ashley’s mother raised her (Ashley’s mother was a single mom who struggled financially).
-that same season there’s gossip that Michael is on Grindr, and pictures of his alleged penis are all over the Internet.
-the fourth season is where shit really hits the fan. At a backyard barbecue, Michael “allegedly” “grabbed and groped” a Bravo cameraman’s ass. It’s kinda caught on tape. You don’t actually see the ass grab itself, but you hear Michael go up to the guy giggling, and then the cameraman says, “Please don’t do that!” Michael responds, “OK, no problem.” Three days later, the man, Orville Palmer, filed charges against Michael for felony assault and misdemeanor improper sexual contact. Michael denied the allegations and claimed Orville just wanted money. The charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence.
-you’d think, after all that groping drama in Season 4, Michael would be on his best behavior for Season 5. Right? WRONG! Near the beginning of the season Ashley went on a girl’s trip (she took her newborn baby along), and, while she was gone, Michael went to the strip club and cheated with a stripper. The other woman took a picture of Michael getting dressed in their hotel room, so there was no way he could deny it. Ashley confronted him about the allegations (on film!) over dinner, and he admitted to getting wasted and sharing a bed with the woman, but claims they never had sex. Sure. Later Ashley confirmed the cheating to the other ladies, and admitted that she and Michael have threesomes (but only with other women).
-at the end of the fifth season, Michael gets into a physical altercation with fellow husband Chris Bassett after he tells Chris to “control his wife,” Candiace Dillard Bassett. He makes a huge scene, threatens to sue, and barfs out this gem: “I’m a respected businessman, and that guy’s touching me? Let a redneck, lowlife family touch ME?” Oh, he also gets into it with the show’s producers and club security.
-at the fifth season reunion, yet another clip of Michael Darby grabbing a man’s ass comes out. This time is was a Real Housewives producer, and the ass-grab was caught by fans who spotted it in the background of a Season 1 episode. Thank you, sleuths!
So Ashley got Michael to admit he cheated on camera. She signed his prenup on camera. The groping drama and fights were on camera. Any judge worth their salt has got to give Ashley her 50%. Gold Digger Hall of Fame, you just got a new Queen!
Pic: YouTube