What happened to Ashley in Girls5eva? (Ashley Park's character explained)

Girls5eva officially made its Netflix debut in March 2024 with all three seasons touching down on the streamer. The brand-new third season welcomes back all of our favorite characters, including the girls themselves: Dawn, Summer, Gloria, and Wickie.

Of course, the girl group Girls5eva also once included a fifth member, Ashley, who's still included in the music video footage in the show's opening credits. Emily in Paris star Ashley Park plays Ashley, the late member of the group, in flashback sequences in the first two seasons.

Unfortunately, Park doesn't have nearly as big of a role as Ashley as she did in the previous two seasons, though she does make an appearance in season 3 episode 4's flashback to the group's music video for "Sweet'N Low Daddy."

If you have been a fan of the series since day one, your memory on what happened to Ashley might be a little foggy. It's been almost two years since season 2 ended, meaning it's natural to have forgotten all the details about Ashley the character and what happened to her.

How did Ashley die in Girls5eva?

Having been involved with six other girl groups, Ashley was an integral member of Girls5eva in the beginning of their career, both being dubbed the "fun one" and key piece that held them all together. Early on in the series, it's explained that Ashley died in 2004 after swimming over the edge of an infinity pool. However, Gloria isn't convinced her friend is really dead.

Throughout season 2, Gloria wonder if Ashley could still be alive. In one key episode, Gloria believes Ashley's actually the identity of the mysterious pop artist TK who shrouds her face from the public and has never been seen. But it's merely a mixture of guilt and missing her friend on Gloria's part because TK isn't Ashley. The girls do end up using an Ashley hologram in season 2.

In the final moments of the second season, Gloria still expresses doubt about Ashley's death in a throwaway line. While she had previously gotten on board with Ashley really being gone, she's now running with the idea that Ashley faked her death. Even though that's brought up in season 2, it's not a storyline that's explored at all in season 3. But hey, maybe they're saving it for a potential season 4.

There doesn't seem to be a concrete reason for Ashley Park's limited appearance in Girls5eva season 3 other than the fact that the move to Netflix reduced the show's episode count and budget. Also, the season centered on the group going on tour, which didn't particularly necessitate many flashbacks or explorations of Ashley. The season still brought in great guest stars, like Thomas Doherty as Gray Holland.

Should the series continue for future seasons, Park could and should make a comeback as the group's deceased fifth member. If there's any show that could get away with a character faking their death and coming back in the same exact form without aging (which is totally how they should play it), it's Girls5eva. Honestly, I want nothing more than Gloria's conspiracy theory to be right.

Watch Girls5eva seasons 1-3 now on Netflix!