'DWTS', Who's Runner-Up Alix Earle's Dad? How His And Scandalous Ashley Dupre's Affair Affected Her?

Dancing With The Stars season 34 has its winner as Robert Irwin and Witney Carson. It was Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy who scored 90 out of 90, but couldn't have their hands on the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy. Predictions hinted that the show would be won by either Robert Irwin and Witney Carson or Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, and the speculations turned out to be right.

Who is Alix Earle's father, Thomas “TJ” Earle?

Alix Earle couldn't get enough audience votes, which led them to end up in the runner-up position. Amid Alix being the runner-up, let's have a stroll down to the past and know about her father, whose affair with then-scandalous Ashley Dupre became the talk of the town, making things hard for then-young Alix. Dancing With The Stars season 34's runner-up, Alix Earle's father's name is Thomas “TJ” Earle. It was back in 2008, when Thomas was in the middle of a storm on social media, owing to his affair with Ashley Alexandra Dupré, while still being married to Alix's mother, Alisa Earle.

How did Alix Earle's father, Thomas “TJ” Earle's, affair make the situation tough for her at a young age?

Thomas, who, as per his LinkedIn, owns a construction company based in Farmingdale, N.J., didn't grab attention with his professional side, but rather with his personal life. Thomas's affair with Ashley Alexandra Dupré hit all the headlines in 2008, and it led the young Alix to be introduced to the pap-culture, facing the pressure and emotional turmoil that came with it. Alix has a biological sister, Ashtin, who was carried by their mom to their cousin's house after paps started gathering in their house during that time when her father's affair buzz was all over the news. On the Call Her Daddy podcast, she said:

"I remember the day very clearly. Paparazzi had shown up at my house. And my mom quickly kind of got me and my sister out of the house over to our cousins. We stayed there for a few days and I had no idea what was going on. I didn’t know they were paparazzi. I thought news broadcasters were interviewing the neighbors.”

To mention, Thomas “TJ” Earle's affair with Ashley Alexandra Dupré was highly-publicised, as she had her own right of fame. Ashley Dupre was born and raised in New Jersey, and in her teens, she came to New York to become a singer. When the plan didn't work out, she started working as an escort at Emperor’s Club VIP. Well, she was listed with the name of 'Kristen' during her escort service.

But how did it become national news? The FBI got some charges against the agency, and they had their radar on. It was New York's Governor Eliot Spitzer who paid Ashley Dupre to have an encounter, and the financial activity was tracked. When the FBI investigated, they found 'client 9' (Eliot Spitzer) and 'Kristen's encounter, and with the information spreading that the Governor took an escort service, it became national news, leading Eliot to resign after two days. This incident made Ashley famous, and as she was later involved with already married Thomas "TJ" Earle, it also grabbed a whole lot of attention.

When Alix Earle was only in standard 2, her father left her mother, and it was after a few years that she got to know about his father's affair with Ashley. She heard people's commentary and checked on Google about the incident when she found out that her father was having an affair with Ashley. Alix said on the Call Her Daddy podcast:

"It was in, like, fourth grade. I started to kind of hear commentary from people, and I had an iPad at the time. I’m Googling my family and all of a sudden, I see that the past two years of my life had been a lie. My dad had an affair with someone who was well-known for her job having sexual relations with high-class people. And one of them was even the governor of New York. She was very well-known from that and in turn, my dad’s affair became a very public situation … [It] felt like my world crashed down in that moment."

How is Ashley's bond with Alix Earle?

We have seen Ashley Dupre supporting Alix Earle through her Dancing With The Stars journey. Not only this, but she didn't even hold back from blasting guest judge Cheryl Burke after she gave Alix '9', which led her to score a number less than the perfect score. Ashley sparked a controversy as she bodyshamed Cheryl Burke. Alix and Ashley Dupre share a good bond with each other now, but it was not always the same case.

Alix, during a conversation on the Call Her Daddy podcast, said that when Ashley Dupre came into their lives and was having an affair with her dad, she was asked to behave well with the woman, and she was just angry with her. Alix said that she was actually disgusted with the fact that she was 10 years old and had to act mature while someone who was 20-30 years older than her could do whatever they wanted to. Alix said:

"When my stepmom started to hang around with my dad after he had moved out, she came into his life. And we were introduced to her, which was super weird, and I was told that I had to be respectful to this woman and we had to be nice to her. I wanted to rip her head off. It was very weird because I felt like I was a 10-year-old having to be more mature than someone 20, 30 years older than me."

Ashley and Alix Earle eventually sorted out their differences. They first bonded due to the fact that Alix was in the public eye. She once shared that she was overwhelmed with something she faced online and discussed the same with her dad, who advised her to talk to her step-mom, Ashley, who has suffered and even survived the same. This was the first step that eventually decreased the difference between Ashley and Alix.

Ashley and Thomas got married in 2013, and they have three kids, two daughters and a son. With the birth of her stepsister, Izabel, Alix said that she turned even more mature. She dedicated one of her performances to her sister, Izabel. She revealed that when she went to visit her sister at the hospital, something melted in her, and she turned mature and was able to let the grievances go. In another interview in 2023, she said that she has a modern family, and she wouldn't mind going on a trip with her mom, stepmom, and dad, and whatever happened was in the past, and they all have moved forward, leaving things behind.

What do you think about Alix Earle's family, who were embroiled in controversy when she was only 10 years old?

Also Read: 'Dancing With The Stars' Winner, Robert Irwin Reveals What's Next After Winning USD 3K And Trophy

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