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Brittany Ashley

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Brittany Ashley
Born (1988-12-27) December 27, 1988 (age 35)
Chicago, Illinois
OccupationStand-up comedian, writer, and actress
NationalityAmerican
Spouse
Cristina Keane
​
(m. 2023)​

Brittany Ashley is an American actor, writer, and comedian.[1] She is known for creating lesbian content online and has been identified as an internet celebrity.[2][3][4]

Early life and education

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Ashley grew up in Chicago, Illinois with her father, older sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her mother died when Ashley was 6.[5]

Ashley attended the University of Illinois-Chicago where she became an entertainment editor for the Chicago Flame and eventually earned her BA in English.

After graduating from The Second City Training Center sketch writing program she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting/writing/comedy career.[6] She has performed at the Groundlings.[7]

Career

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BuzzFeed Motion Pictures

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Ashley was a full-time content creator for BuzzFeed. She was widely recognized for creating lesbian content.[8] She frequently collaborated with BuzzFeed staffer Chris Reinacher.[9]

While at BuzzFeed, Ashley wrote the web series You Do You which aired on BuzzFeed Violet and was later sold to iTunes.[10] The series hit the number 1 slot on Apple's top chart after its release, beating out HBO's Silicon Valley season 2, TBS's Angie Tribeca season 1, and CBS's The Big Bang Theory season 9.[11] The series is a queer sitcom which follows four women who go through a series of changes.[12][13]

During her career at BuzzFeed, Ashley created numerous videos that went viral, including a short film about emotional abuse in a same-sex relationship titled Unaware, a short film about abortion titled Unplanned and a series called Lesbian Princess, a modern period comedy about a lesbian princess in the Middle Ages, who tries to avoid marrying a royal prince.

After Ashley and Jenny Lorenzo appeared in small roles on Gente-Fied, a web series produced by America Ferrera, Buzzfeed terminated both staff members for violating their contract on July 10, 2016.[14][15] Specifically, even though both Ashley and Lorenzo worked on the Gente-Fied series in their free time,[16] they were not authorized to work with other companies without prior permission (i.e. non-compete clause).[17][18]

Due, in part, to Ashley's large fanbase, her dismissal from BuzzFeed also surfaced a number of critiques of the organization, specifically how it owned all the creative rights to the work of their employees.[19][20][21] Another critique was BuzzFeed's policy to pay their employees a standard rate, meaning writers, actors, and performers do not receive residual payments when their work is viewed or goes viral.[22][23][24] The firing of Ashley and Lorenzo sparked conversations on the need for BuzzFeed staff to unionize and support.[25]

Freelancing

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Since Reinacher also left BuzzFeed, he and Ashley continue to collaborate.[9] Ashley continues to write, primarily queer-led scripts.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Ashley resides in California. In 2021, she became engaged to designer Cristina Keane.[6] On May 6, 2023, Ashley and Keane were married at the Madonna Inn.[citation needed]

Videography

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  • 2014 "The Lphabet" AfterEllen[26]
  • 2014 "Dating: Now Vs. The '90s" BuzzFeed Video[27]
  • 2014 "What It's Like To Be Stoned At The Grocery Store" BuzzFeed Video[28][29][30]
  • 2014 "13 Things Only Siblings Will Understand" BuzzFeed Video[31]
  • 2014 "13 Reasons Having An Opposite-Sex BFF Is Awesome" BuzzFeed Video[32]
  • 2014 "People Use A Bidet For The First Time" BuzzFeed Video[33]
  • 2014 "10 Things Only People With Attention Problems Understand" BuzzFeed Video[34]
  • 2014 "7 Things Only Middle Children Understand" BuzzFeed Video[35]
  • 2015 "Dating Problems Every Lesbian Will Recognize" BuzzFeed Video[36][37]
  • 2015 "When You Get Drunk and Lose Your Phone" BuzzFeed Yellow[38]
  • 2015 "Lesbian Princess" BuzzFeed Video[39]
  • 2015 "How to Win the Breakup" BuzzFeed Video.[40][41]
  • 2015 "College Lesbians" Laughs TV Show.[42]
  • 2015 "When You Have A Sex Dream About A Coworker" BuzzFeed Video[43]
  • 2016 "People Cover Up Regrettable Tattoos" BuzzFeed Video[44]
  • 2016 "When Things Don't Go As Planned" BuzzFeed Video[45]
  • 2016 "When You Miss Your Ex's Dog" BuzzFeed Video[46]
  • 2016 “Pokémon Go to Your Ex’s House”[47] Funny Or Die.[48][49]
  • 2016 "Emotional Abuse Can Be Hard To Recognize" BuzzFeed Video.[50]
  • 2016 "Gente-Fied" America Ferrera[51][52]
  • 2016 "Last Call With Carson Daly" KNBC Interview[53]
  • 2017 "Masturbation: Guys Vs. Girls" BuzzFeed Video[54]
  • 2017 "9 Questions Gay People Have For Straight People" BuzzFeed Video[55]
  • 2018 Take My Wife. SeeSo and iTunes[56][57]
  • 2018 "Twelve Forever" Netflix (Producing)[58]
  • 2018 "For Real, Though" Logos Facebook[6][59]
  • 2018 "Something Else" Tancred Music Video Apple Music[60][61]

Podcasts

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Don't Tell the Babysitter Mom's Dead

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Ashley created and hosts the podcast Don't Tell the Babysitter Mom's Dead. The show uses dark humor as Ashley interviews a guest on their personal experience with losing their mother and asks each guest what pop-culture touchstone helped them cope with their mothers' death.[5]

Angel on Top

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Angel on Top is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Brittany Ashley and Laura Zak discuss the TV series Angel one episode at a time.[62][63][64][65]

Sicker Sadder World

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Similar to Angel on Top, Sicker Sadder World is a Daria re-watch podcast.[5][66][67]

Publications

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  • 2015 "The AfterEllen Summer of Love: “Same Time Next Week” by Emily Smith"[68]
  • 2017 "If There Were a Lesbian Version of “The Bachelorette[69]
  • 2017 "“The Lesbian Bachelorette” Recap: Batter Up (Episode 2)"[70]
  • 2017 "“The Lesbian Bachelorette” recap: Love is Heating Up (Episode 3)"[71]
  • 2017 "Coming Out To Your Uber Driver"[72]
  • 2017 "Why Every Queer Woman Should Watch “Buffy”"[73]
  • 2017 "How I Found Lesbians Before YouTube"[74]
  • 2017 "Watching “The L Word” After A Decade Shattered My Illusions"[75]
  • 2018 "How The “Buffy” Prom Saved The World—And Reconciled My Own Prom Disappointment"[76]

References

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  1. ^ "9 Cheap and Free Things to Do in L.A. This Week". L.A. Weekly. 18 August 2017. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  2. ^ "The Earth Is Not Doomed: A Weekend With Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs". Autostraddle. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  3. ^ "11 Perks Of Being A Girl Dating Another Girl". MTV UK. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Famous and broke: YouTube stars confess". NewsComAu. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  5. ^ a b c ""Don't Tell the Babysitter Mom's Dead" Isn't Afraid of Feelings or Jokes". Autostraddle. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Avery, Dan (16 March 2017). "Out Comedian Brittany Ashley Is 'For Real, Though'". LOGO News. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  7. ^ "The Groundlings". The Groundlings Website. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  8. ^ Dunn, Gaby. "Get Rich or Die Vlogging: The Sad Economics of Internet Fame". Splinter. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  9. ^ a b "BuzzFeed Alum Chris Reinacher Launches YouTube Channel Alongside AwesomenessTV". Tubefilter. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Ashly Perez and Brittany Ashley talk queerness and coming out in 'You Do You'". AfterEllen. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  11. ^ Spangler, Todd (6 July 2016). "BuzzFeed Notches TV Comedy Hit With 'You Do You' Series on iTunes". Variety. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  12. ^ "I Demand to Be Sexualized". Autostraddle. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Feminist Hero Friday: Ashly Perez". POC Online Classroom. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  14. ^ "BuzzFeed Motion Pictures producer resigns". POLITICO Media. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  15. ^ Sutton, Kelsey (15 June 2016). "BuzzFeed fires two amid video push". POLITICO Media. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  16. ^ Feldman, Brian. "These People Signed Their Personal Brands Over to BuzzFeed and It Was Real AF". Select All. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  17. ^ "BuzzFeed Clarifies Exclusivity Rules After Two Staff Members Fired". TheWrap. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  18. ^ "BuzzFeed Fires Two Employees, Raises Questions About Its Contracts". Tubefilter. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  19. ^ Dewey, Caitlin. "Analysis | Why some YouTube stars accuse Buzzfeed of 'stealing' their ideas". Washington Post. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  20. ^ "Buzzfeed Employees Turned YouTubers, Why I Left Buzzfeed". Clevver. 22 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  21. ^ "YouTubers and the Trouble With Being Relatable". HuffPost UK. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  22. ^ "Is BuzzFeed Motion Pictures creating or killing young dreams?". The Daily Dot. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  23. ^ "Gaby Dunn, Allison Raskin Share Why They Left BuzzFeed To Build Just Between Us". Tubefilter. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  24. ^ "Why Getting Fired Hurts So Bad". Bloomberg.com. 28 September 2016.
  25. ^ "Vloggers unite: Youtubers are getting organized after a decade of exploitation". Newsweek. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  26. ^ "The stars of our new video series, 'The Lphabet'". AfterEllen. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  27. ^ "Dating: Now Vs. The '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  28. ^ "This Perfectly Captures What It's Like To Be High At The Grocery Store". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  29. ^ Stokes, Rebecca Jane. "What It's Like To Be Stoned At The Grocery Store". Bustle. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  30. ^ "What It's Like To Be Stoned At The Movie Theater". The Cannadian Chronicle. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  31. ^ "13 Things Only Siblings Understand". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  32. ^ "13 Reasons Everyone Should Have An Opposite-Sex BFF". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  33. ^ "People Use A Bidet For The First Time". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  34. ^ "10 Things Only People With Attention Problems Understand". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  35. ^ "7 Things Only Middle Children Understand". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  36. ^ "Dating Problems Every Lesbian Will Recognize". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  37. ^ M, Maya. "Dating Problems Every Lesbian Will Recognize". Bustle. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  38. ^ As/Is (25 April 2015), When You're Drunk And You Lose Your Phone, retrieved 21 August 2018
  39. ^ "Brittany Ashley is 'Lesbian Princess'". AfterEllen. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  40. ^ "How To Win The Breakup". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  41. ^ "Don't Blame Gaby Dunn for "Selling Out": Internet Fame Does Not Equal Financial Stability". themarysue.com. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  42. ^ Laughs TV Show (8 February 2015), College Lesbians | Brittany Ashley | Stand-Up Comedy, retrieved 21 August 2018 – via YouTube
  43. ^ "When You Have A Sex Dream About A Co-Worker". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  44. ^ "Watch: People Cover Up Regrettable Tattoos". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  45. ^ Clark, Minou (15 March 2016). "This Short Film About An Unplanned Pregnancy Is Wonderfully Honest". Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  46. ^ "Videos on BuzzFeed". Videos on BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  47. ^ "Watch BuzzFeed Vet Brittany Ashley in 'Pokémon Go to Your Ex's House' (Video)". TheWrap. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  48. ^ "Watch BuzzFeed Vet Brittany Ashley in 'Pokémon Go to Your Ex's House' (Video)". Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  49. ^ "Watch BuzzFeed Vet Brittany Ashley in 'Pokémon Go to Your Ex's House' (Video)". Houston Chronicle. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 22 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  50. ^ "Emotional Abuse Can Be Hard To Recognize". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  51. ^ "Isis in Gente-fied". Brittany Ashley. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  52. ^ Orozco, Gisela. "'Gente-fied' o los barrios latinos frente a la reurbanización". Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  53. ^ Cooper, Matt (12 February 2016). "Friday's TV highlights: 'David Bowie: Five Years' and more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  54. ^ "Watch: Masturbation: Guys Vs. Girls". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.[permanent dead link]
  55. ^ "Watch: 9 Questions Gay People Have For Straight People". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  56. ^ Wong, Curtis M. (6 March 2018). "The Groundbreaking Queer Comedy Series 'Take My Wife' Is Back". Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  57. ^ "The Best Show About Lesbians Since "The L Word" Needs A New Home". LOGO News. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  58. ^ PUNY. "PUNY, We are so excited that it's finally announced we..." PUNY. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  59. ^ "Logo". Retrieved 21 August 2018 – via Facebook.
  60. ^ "Riverdale meets Twin Peaks meets San Junipero in new Tancred video". GIGsoup. 19 August 2018. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  61. ^ "Tancred Shares 'Riverdale'-Inspired Video for 'Something Else'". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  62. ^ "Angel On Top - Brittany Ashley and Laura Zak". TopPodcast.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  63. ^ "Welcome". Angel on Top. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  64. ^ Rasic, Jared. "Here's What's Hot". The Source Weekly - Bend. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  65. ^ Shure, Marnie. "30 For 30 Podcasts throws a spotlight on yoga's #MeToo moment—and hands its survivors a loudspeaker". AUX. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  66. ^ "Home". Sicker Sadder World. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  67. ^ "The podcast that revisits Daria, Sicker Sadder..." thecomedybureau.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  68. ^ "The AfterEllen Summer of Love: 'Same Time Next Week' by Emily Smith". AfterEllen. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  69. ^ "If There Were a Lesbian Version of 'The Bachelorette'". GO Magazine. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  70. ^ "'The Lesbian Bachelorette' Recap: Batter Up (Episode 2)". GO Magazine. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  71. ^ "'The Lesbian Bachelorette' recap: Love is Heating Up (Episode 3)". GO Magazine. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  72. ^ "Coming Out To Your Uber Driver". LOGO News. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  73. ^ "Why Every Queer Woman Should Watch 'Buffy'". GO Magazine. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  74. ^ "How I Found Lesbians Before YouTube". LOGO News. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  75. ^ "Watching "The L Word" After A Decade Shattered My Illusions". LOGO News. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  76. ^ "How The "Buffy" Prom Saved The World—And Reconciled My Own Prom Disappointment". LOGO News. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
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