The couple got married in 2014 after dating for two years. Season 2 of RHOP followed the couple as they struggled to open their restaurant, Oz. The Bravo reality show followed the couple through parenthood, rumors of infidelity, and their 2022 split.
The couple officially called it quits ahead of the Season 7 premiere of RHOP, with Ashley announcing they had split after “almost 8 magical years” of marriage. In April 2022, she confirmed that they’d separated, although she would not legally file for divorce until November 2024, according to Us Weekly.
How The 29-Year Age Gap Affected Ashley And Michael Darby
When audiences met Ashley and Michael Darby, Bravo fans couldn’t help but comment on their almost three-decade age difference.
Ashley admitted that some of their struggles came due to their 29-year age difference. She told The Daily Dish that when they opened their Australian restaurant together, their difference in experience was notable.
[Michael] has these expectations of me to be this strong, confident, self-assured businesswoman when really I’m still navigating the ropes. I’m still learning as I go.
During the Season 2 reunion, in which Ashley and Michael admitted they were struggling together, he noted how their age difference played a role in the separation.
Reported by Distractify, he noted how she was still working out her “evolving life and future,” while he was “coming through the end of my career, looking to all kinds of things that are very different from some of the things I am looking for.”
Ashley gave birth to their son, Dean, in 2019 and their second son, Dylan, in 2021.
Michael Darby And His Allegations Of Cheating And Misbehavior
Via Bravo
During the first season of RHOP, Michael was caught grabbing former castmate Katie Rost’s ex-fiancé Andrew Martin’s butt on camera. Michael told Bravo, “We had enjoyed a fun night at Charrisse Jackson Jordan’s birthday party and were letting loose on the dance floor when I playfully touched Andrew’s butt. He responded as expected with a laugh and we continued to dance with our lovely ladies.”
In 2018, he was suspended from RHOP after a crew member accused him of groping. According to PEOPLE, a cameraman claimed in court documents that Michael had “grabbed and groped” his bottom during cast member Monique Samuels’ baby shower. While the charges were dropped due to “insufficient evidence,” Michael denied it was any sexual.
In 2019, footage of Michael with another woman resurfaced online. Candiace Dillard accused the restaurant owner of visiting strip clubs. Ashley was forced to admit that she and Michael had an open marriage. “Strangely, Michael venturing out the way he did has allowed me to finally be expressive about how we have done this together, and it’s a big relief,” she said on the RHOP aftershow in November 2020, per The Daily Dish.
In May 2020, a video leaked and was reported by Entertainment Now of Michael in bed with another woman. The explicit video showed the Australian drinking with the woman. She defended her husband to Entertainment Tonight, saying she wasn’t going to let the media affect her marriage.
“Everyone’s going to have an opinion. I’m sure there’ll be some very strong reactions to what they see and what happens, but ultimately, the only person who really lays next to Michael at night and has to have these discussions is me. So, that’s that.”
The Many Rocky Years Before Michael And Ashley’s 2022 Split
“He’s my person,” Ashley told PEOPLE in July 2017. “We’re taking the time to evaluate exactly what we expect from our relationship and if both of us can give each other what we need. We still really care about each other, so the foundation is there. It’s just a matter of repairing some of the faults in the foundation.”
ScreenRant reported that Ashley Darby confirmed their split in April 2022, admitting to Us Weekly that the pair were at different stages of their lives. “We both want the other to achieve true happiness and fulfillment and feel that we cannot do this together,” she said.
When Ashley announced her split from Michael, she told Bravo’s The Daily Dish that it was due to a range of issues. She listed various reasons that played a part in the end of their marriage, including “too much intrusion by reality TV into the most personal parts of our lives, age-gap issues, cultural problems or child-rearing differences.”
She would only legally divorce Michael two years after officially announcing her separation. “Signing divorce papers is bittersweet. My friend put it this way: leaving a marriage is like leaving a house you’ve created memories in for years,” Ashley told The Daily Dish.
Even though I’m not romantically invested in Michael, he will always have a very special place in my heart. It’s a love I can’t even begin to explain, especially sharing our two amazing sons.
The mother of two continued, “I’m incredibly inspired by my future – cheers to more healing, thriving, and twerking!”
Since their split, Us Weekly has reported that they struggled to be amicable parents to their two sons, Dean and Dylan. “I don’t actually know the turning point for him,” she admitted. “I don’t know where we became negative toward each other. But something changed.”
Ashley confessed her disappointment in her and Michael’s relationship post-split. “I was so in love with this man,” she told Us Weekly. “To be in love with somebody for 11 years and then not to be, on these terms, is very challenging. But that’s just life.”