Ashley Darby is speaking out now that her husband Michael Darby has been accused of sexual assault.
Not only is the The Real Housewives of Potomac star standing by her man, she’s claiming that charges have not even been filed.
She also announces that her husband has not been suspended by Bravo. Is she telling the truth?
Ashley Darby took to her Instagram Story on Saturday to affirm her support her embattled husband.
“No charges filed,” she writes. “No arrest made.”
“No Bravo suspension,” she continues. “No worries.”
She then promises fans: “We’ll keep you posted.”
That is very interesting … considering that two of those claims are in conflict with reports.
TMZ‘s report, which we are inclined to believe, says that Darby has been charged with felony assault.
(He has also been charged with misdemeanor improper sexual contact)
He has also been suspended by Truly Original, the production company behind The Real Housewives of Potomac.
And he has been suspended by Bravo, who say that they have procedures to follow when allegations of this nature are made.
It is curious that Ashley would make an announcement that is contrary to what we’ve heard.
As you may recall, these allegations — reported to police within days of the October 1 incident — were made by a cameraman, Orville Palmer.
According to his accusation, Michael Darby began by giving him what he perceived to be a flirtatious look.
On its own, that’s a pretty subjective perception, and almost never a crime.
He says that Darby then grabbed and groped his butt.
He says that he put down the camera and demanded that Darby stop touching his butt.
There was another alleged incident, days before, in which Michael Darby is said to have kicked him in the butt.
Kicking someone’s butt is not necessarily sexual in nature, but consider this:
One: you should not be touching anyone’s posterior without permission.
Two: kicking a butt might not be inherently sexual, but it’s inherently assault. Stop it.
As we mentioned, Palmer filed charges just days after the October 1 incident.
Some may feel a surge of anger towards Ashley for standing by her husband when these allegations have been made.
We should remember that blame for misdeeds — alleged or proven — should not be misplaced to a person’s family or loved ones.
Ashley, like so many people who are close to those who are accused of predatory behavior, is struggling to reconcile the man she knows with what she has now heard.
She may believe that this is over a vendetta against her husband, or somehow a ploy to make money.
Be angry with her for her claims that are contrary to reports, if you like, but not every wife is likely to file for divorce when allegations surface.
What makes this story a little complicated is that this alleged sexual assault case is that this is a married man who is accused of groping another man.
Obviously, not all sex crimes are about attraction, but a lot of people find that surprising and even difficult to accept.
There have been other famous man-on-man assault stories. The most famous among them are probably Brendan Fraiser and Terry Crews.
No one has the right to touch another person without their consent.
It is neither “gay” nor “homophobic” to report a sexual assault committed by one man upon another. Crimes are crimes.
