Jan Ashley, born Janice Lynn Glass, was an American former beauty-pageant titleholder who became widely known because of her brief marriage to attorney Robert Kardashian Sr. Yet her life had significant chapters long before she entered the Kardashian family story. Raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ashley won the Miss Tulsa title in 1966, worked at Phillips Petroleum, and later spent nearly two decades married to actor and television producer John Ashley. Her marriage to Robert Kardashian in 1998 was short and ended in annulment. Years later, she returned to entertainment headlines after making a disputed claim concerning Khloé Kardashian’s paternity.
Jan Ashley Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Janice Lynn Glass Ashley |
| Known as | Jan Ashley |
| Born | August 1948 |
| Birthplace | Amarillo, Texas, USA |
| Raised in | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Education | Will Rogers High School |
| Pageant title | Miss Tulsa, 1966 |
| Occupation | Executive secretary |
| First husband | John Ashley |
| Second husband | Robert Kardashian Sr. |
| Marriage to Robert Kardashian | 1998 |
| Marriage outcome | Annulled in 1999 |
| Died | October 1, 2015 |
| Age at death | 67 |
| Burial | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, California |
Ashley’s funeral-home record lists August 3, 1948, as her birth date, while the obituary text itself says August 1. For that reason, August 1948 is the safest way to state her birth date without treating either conflicting day as definitive.
Who Was Jan Ashley?
Jan Ashley was much more than a brief addition to Robert Kardashian’s marital history. Her obituary traces her life from Texas and Oklahoma to California and records a career and marriage that predated her relationship with Kardashian by many years.
Born Janice Lynn Glass in Amarillo, Texas, Ashley moved with her family to Tulsa when she was seven. She attended Will Rogers High School and became Miss Tulsa in 1966. She subsequently worked as an executive secretary to K. S. “Boots” Adams of Phillips Petroleum.
These details are important because much of the later coverage of Ashley concentrated almost exclusively on the Kardashian family. By the time she met Robert Kardashian, she had already spent decades building a life largely outside celebrity journalism.
Her Life Before the Kardashians
From Amarillo to Tulsa
Tulsa played an important role in Ashley’s early life. Although she was born in Texas, she grew up in Oklahoma after her parents relocated there during her childhood.
Her Miss Tulsa title in 1966 provided one of her earliest documented moments in the spotlight. She did not go on to establish a major national entertainment career, however. Instead, her professional life included her executive-secretary position at Phillips Petroleum.
That background distinguishes Ashley from the television personalities with whom her name would eventually become associated.
Jan Ashley and John Ashley
Before meeting Robert Kardashian, Jan was married to John Ashley, an actor and producer whose entertainment career stretched from 1950s and 1960s movies into television production.
Jan’s obituary states that she married John in 1978 and moved to California. IMDb also lists Janice Lynn Glass as his spouse from 1978 until his death on October 3, 1997.
John Ashley appeared in films such as Beach Party, Beach Blanket Bingo and Hud. Later in his career, he became a television producer associated with series including The A-Team. The Los Angeles Times described him as an actor and producer or co-producer whose television credits also included Walker, Texas Ranger and Hardball.
John died in New York City in 1997 at age 62. Jan was therefore widowed shortly before the next major chapter of her life.
Jan Ashley and Robert Kardashian Sr.
Robert Kardashian Sr. was an American attorney and businessman who became nationally recognizable through his friendship with O.J. Simpson and involvement with Simpson’s defense team during the 1995 murder trial. He was also the former husband of Kris Jenner and the father of Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob Kardashian.
After his marriage to Kris ended, Robert eventually married Jan Ashley in 1998. Their union was exceptionally brief and was annulled in 1999.
Ashley later attributed the breakdown partly to difficulties surrounding Robert’s previous marriage and family relationships. Because those explanations came from Ashley’s later recollections, they are best understood as her account of the relationship rather than an independently established explanation for why the marriage failed.
Where Jan Fits in Robert Kardashian’s Marriage History
| Spouse | Marriage | Children together |
|---|---|---|
| Kris Jenner | 1978–1991 | Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob |
| Jan Ashley | Married 1998; annulled 1999 | None |
| Ellen Pierson | Married 2003 | None |
Robert Kardashian married Ellen Pierson after his relationship with Ashley. He died from esophageal cancer in September 2003, only weeks after marrying Pierson.
The 2012 Khloé Kardashian Controversy
Jan Ashley returned to the media spotlight in January 2012 for a very different reason.
Ashley and Ellen Kardashian made statements to Star magazine questioning whether Robert Kardashian was Khloé Kardashian’s biological father. Ashley claimed Robert had told her after their marriage that Khloé was not biologically his child. CBS News and ABC News subsequently covered the allegations.
The allegation should not be confused with an established fact. It was Ashley’s account of a private conversation with a man who had died years earlier, and the Kardashian family publicly rejected the claim.
Kris Jenner called the allegations false during an appearance on Good Morning America, while Khloé Kardashian responded angrily to the comments.
The Los Angeles Times also covered the dispute and reported the Kardashian family’s rejection of the allegations.
Consequently, Ashley’s statement is accurately described as a disputed paternity claim, not proof of Khloé Kardashian’s biological parentage.
What Happened to Jan Ashley After Robert Kardashian?
Ashley did not turn her brief Kardashian connection into a sustained television or entertainment career. Her family obituary says that after living in California, she decided to return to Oklahoma in 2012.
That was also the year her comments about Khloé Kardashian received extensive entertainment-media coverage.
She appears to have spent her later years outside the celebrity spotlight rather than building a public profile around her former marriage.
When Did Jan Ashley Die?
Jan Ashley died on October 1, 2015, at age 67. Her funeral-home obituary confirms the date and states that she was to be interred beside her husband John Ashley at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in California.
The obituary does not state a cause of death, so claims assigning her a specific illness or medical condition should not be treated as established fact.
Her obituary remembered her primarily through her relationships with her family, including her brother and nephews, rather than through her short-lived Kardashian connection.
Jan Ashley’s Life Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Born Janice Lynn Glass in Amarillo, Texas |
| Childhood | Family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 1966 | Became Miss Tulsa |
| 1978 | Married actor and producer John Ashley |
| 1997 | John Ashley died in New York City |
| 1998 | Married Robert Kardashian Sr. |
| 1999 | Marriage to Kardashian ended in annulment |
| 2012 | Made controversial comments concerning Khloé Kardashian’s paternity and returned to Oklahoma |
| 2015 | Died on October 1 at age 67 |
Frequently Asked Questions About Jan Ashley
Who was Jan Ashley?
Jan Ashley, whose full name was Janice Lynn Glass Ashley, was a former Miss Tulsa and executive secretary. She was married to actor-producer John Ashley and later became the second wife of attorney Robert Kardashian Sr.
Was Jan Ashley married to Robert Kardashian?
Yes. Robert Kardashian married Jan Ashley in 1998 after his divorce from Kris Jenner. Their marriage was annulled in 1999.
Who was Jan Ashley’s first husband?
Her first husband was John Ashley, an American actor and producer. They married in 1978 and remained married until his death in 1997.
Did Jan Ashley have children with Robert Kardashian?
There are no children from Jan Ashley and Robert Kardashian’s brief marriage. Robert’s four children—Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob—were born during his earlier marriage to Kris Jenner.
What did Jan Ashley say about Khloé Kardashian?
In a 2012 interview, Ashley alleged that Robert Kardashian had told her Khloé was not his biological daughter. Kris Jenner and Khloé publicly rejected the claims, and Ashley’s allegation did not establish Khloé’s paternity.
Is Jan Ashley still alive?
No. Jan Ashley died on October 1, 2015, at age 67. Her obituary states that she would be interred beside John Ashley at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in California.
Conclusion
Jan Ashley is remembered most often as Robert Kardashian Sr.’s second wife, but that description covers only a small portion of her life. Born Janice Lynn Glass, she grew up in Tulsa, became Miss Tulsa in 1966, worked at Phillips Petroleum and spent nearly two decades married to actor and producer John Ashley.
Her marriage to Robert Kardashian was brief, while her controversial 2012 comments about Khloé Kardashian brought her name back into the headlines years later. Those allegations remain disputed and should not overshadow the more firmly documented parts of her biography. Ashley died in 2015 at age 67, leaving behind a life that extended well beyond her short connection to the Kardashian family.
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