Who Is Ashley Earle? Inside Alix Earle’s Relationship With Her Stepmom

Alix Earle and her stepmom, Ashley Earle, have built a close relationship over the years, but their blended family did not always get along.

The TikTok star has been open about the complicated history between her parents, her stepmom and herself. Today, however, Alix says the family has reached a much happier place.

“[We’re] super close, and we’ve gotten to such a good point,” Alix told Elle in August 2023. “Whatever’s happened in the past, we’ve all gotten past it as a family.”

Ashley is married to Alix’s father, Thomas “TJ” Earle. The couple tied the knot in Paris on Oct. 13, 2013, five years after their relationship became public.

Together, Ashley and Thomas have three children: Izabel, Penelope and Thomas James Earle II. Thomas also has two daughters, Alix and Ashtin, from his previous marriage to Alisa Earle.

Ashley Earle’s past made headlines

Before joining the Earle family, Ashley was at the center of a major scandal involving former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

Ashley left her New Jersey home at 17 and moved to New York City, where she hoped to pursue a career in music. Instead, she eventually began working for an escort service, where she met Spitzer.

In 2008, an FBI investigation identified Ashley as an escort Spitzer had hired. The scandal led to Spitzer’s resignation as governor. His wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, filed for divorce the following year.

Ashley later spoke publicly about the experience, telling PEOPLE in 2008 that one of the most painful parts was her mother learning about her involvement.

“It was extremely painful for her,” Ashley said, adding that her mother was not angry and remained supportive.

Her relationship with Alix’s father changed the family

The same year the Spitzer scandal became public, Ashley began a relationship with Thomas Earle. Their affair contributed to the end of Thomas’ marriage to Alisa.

For Alix and her sister Ashtin, the situation was difficult to understand. Alix was still in elementary school when her family suddenly became the subject of media attention.

Years later, she recalled realizing that her father had been trying to protect her and her sister from 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 on Call Her Daddy in 2023. “I felt like my world crashed down in that moment.”

Ashley and Thomas eventually married in Paris in 2013. Alix and Ashtin did not attend the wedding. During a 2024 episode of her podcast Hot Mess, Alix recalled that her father simply told them about the marriage while driving them to school.

Alix and Ashley weren’t always close

Alix has acknowledged that she and Ashtin initially had a lot of anger toward Ashley.

During a September 2024 episode of Hot Mess, Alix explained that their family needed years to work through the situation.

“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,” she said.

Over time, however, Alix and Ashtin developed a much stronger bond with their stepmom. Alix has even described the relationship as feeling more like a sisterhood.

The family is now close enough to celebrate major moments together. Alix has said that being able to have her mother, father, stepmother and younger siblings together at important events is one of the best parts of her life.

Ashley became a mother to three children

Ashley and Thomas welcomed their first child together, Izabel, in November 2012, before their wedding.

Their daughter Penelope was born in September 2015, followed by their son Thomas Jr. in April 2017.

Ashley has also embraced her role as a stepmother to Alix and Ashtin. In 2015, she shared a heartfelt Instagram tribute for Alix’s 15th birthday, calling her an “amazing Big Sister and Step Daughter.”

“Alix you have made and continue to make my life so much better everyday,” Ashley wrote. “I am so lucky to have you in my life.”

Ashley has helped Alix navigate fame

Their relationship has become especially important as Alix's own profile has grown.

With millions of people following her life online, Alix has faced the pressures that come with sudden fame. She has said Ashley understands those challenges because she experienced intense media attention herself.

In her 2023 Elle interview, Alix recalled calling her father when she felt overwhelmed. He suggested she speak with Ashley instead.

“She has dealt with this before, stuff in the media,” Alix recalled her father saying.

According to Alix, Ashley has been able to guide her through difficult moments and remind her that things usually feel bigger when they are happening.

Her advice, Alix said, was simple: “life goes on” and “not everything is as crazy as it feels in the moment.”

Ashley shares her life online

Ashley has also developed a social media following of her own. She regularly posts about her family on Instagram and shares glimpses of motherhood and everyday life with her more than 350,000 TikTok followers.

In July 2025, she posted a funny throwback video from 2016 showing teenage Alix and Ashtin locked outside the family’s home late at night.

The girls can be seen banging on the door with their shoes and honking their car horns around 1 a.m. Ashley explained that the family lived in an old stone house where it was difficult to hear someone outside.

“Core memories,” she wrote in the caption.

A complicated past, a close family today

Ashley Earle’s history has been marked by intense public scrutiny, but her relationship with Alix has evolved significantly.

What began as a difficult chapter in Alix’s childhood eventually became a relationship she now describes as close and supportive. Ashley is also set to appear alongside Alix and the rest of the Earle family in Netflix’s reality series Earle Meets World, which began streaming Sept. 4.

For Alix, the story of her stepmom is ultimately part of a larger story about a family that took years to find its balance — and eventually became a blended family that can celebrate life together.