Jan Ashley, born Janice Lynn Glass, was an American former beauty pageant winner who became publicly known through her brief marriage to attorney Robert Kardashian Sr. She was reportedly born in August 1948 and was associated with Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was crowned Miss Tulsa in 1966. Before her connection to the Kardashian family, she had also been married to actor and producer John Ashley.
Ashley married Robert Kardashian on November 25, 1998, in Vail, Colorado, but their marriage ended in annulment in 1999. Court records show that the couple had initially agreed to have a child together, although Robert later changed his mind. Ashley later attracted media attention after making claims about conversations with Robert concerning Khloé Kardashian’s paternity. Those claims were disputed and have never been independently established as fact.
Bio Table
| Full Name | Janice Lynn Glass, later Jan Ashley |
|---|---|
| Born | August 3, 1948, in Amarillo, Texas — one source notes a minor internal inconsistency giving August 1 elsewhere in the same record |
| Parents | James Douglas Glass and Monnie M. Glass |
| Early Recognition | Crowned Miss Tulsa in 1966, shortly after high school |
| Early Career | Executive secretary for Kenneth “Boots” Adams, a leading Phillips Petroleum executive |
| First Marriage | John Ashley, actor and television/film producer, married 1978; his third and final wife |
| First Husband’s Death | John Ashley died October 3, 1997, of a heart attack outside a New York City studio while producing his final film, “Scar City”; he was 62, she was 49 |
| Second Marriage | Robert Kardashian Sr., attorney and businessman, married November 25, 1998, in Vail, Colorado; his second wife, after Kris Jenner |
| Second Marriage Duration | Approximately 30 days before annulment in 1999 |
| Children | None from either marriage |
| Notable Controversy | Reportedly claimed, in a 2014 interview, that Robert Kardashian privately told her Khloé Kardashian was not his biological daughter — a claim the Kardashian family denied, with court records listing him as her legal father |
| Died | October 1, 2015, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at age 67 |
| Burial | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California — beside John Ashley, not Robert Kardashian |
Who Is Jan Ashley?
Jan Ashley, whose birth name was Janice Lynn Glass, was an American former beauty pageant titleholder best known for her brief marriage to attorney and businessman Robert Kardashian Sr. She was crowned Miss Tulsa in 1966, years before she became connected to the Kardashian family. She later married actor and producer John Ashley, with whom she remained until his death in 1997.
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Jan Ashley’s Background
Ashley was born in August 1948 in Amarillo, Texas, and grew up primarily in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after her family moved there when she was a child. She attended Will Rogers High School and reportedly worked as an executive secretary at Phillips Petroleum before becoming associated with Hollywood through her first husband, John Ashley.
Her connection to the Kardashian family began in 1998, when she married Robert Kardashian Sr. The marriage was extremely brief and was annulled after about a month. Years later, Ashley attracted renewed attention because of controversial statements concerning Khloé Kardashian’s paternity, claims that were disputed and should not be presented as established fact. Ashley died in 2015 at age 67, having largely maintained a private life outside the media spotlight.
A Tulsa Beauty Queen With an Eleven-Year Gap in the Record
Janice Lynn Glass was born in Amarillo, Texas, and spent much of her early life in Oklahoma, where she was crowned Miss Tulsa in 1966, shortly after finishing high school. She went on to work as an executive secretary for Kenneth “Boots” Adams, a prominent Phillips Petroleum executive a well-documented, specific role that gives real texture to her early adult life beyond the pageant title. What happened between 1966 and 1978, though, is genuinely undocumented in any source reviewed for this piece; several accounts note this gap directly rather than filling it with speculation, which is worth crediting given how often similar gaps in other people’s biographies get papered over with invented detail.
Nineteen Years With John Ashley
In 1978, Janice married John Ashley, an actor and television and film producer who’d grown up in Tulsa himself, attended Will Rogers High School, and earned an economics degree at Oklahoma State University on a wrestling scholarship before relocating to Hollywood. He built a career across two distinct phases acting through the 1960s, then producing through the 1970s and ’80s, with credits connected to projects including “The A-Team,” “Apocalypse Now,” and “Beyond Atlantis.” Jan was his third and final wife, and the marriage lasted nearly two decades, making it by far the longest and most stable relationship of her life.
That chapter ended abruptly on October 3, 1997, when John Ashley died of a heart attack in a parking lot outside a New York City studio where he’d been producing his final film, “Scar City.” He was 62; Jan was 49, and, by every account reviewed for this piece, a widow after nineteen years of marriage rather than someone stepping out of a failed relationship.
Thirty Days as a Kardashian
Just over a year after John Ashley’s death, on November 25, 1998, Jan married Robert Kardashian Sr., the attorney and businessman best known publicly for his role in the O.J. Simpson trial and, later, as the patriarch whose surname would become globally famous through his children. The ceremony took place in Vail, Colorado, and the marriage made her his second wife, following his earlier marriage to Kris Jenner. It didn’t last: the couple separated within about thirty days, and the marriage was annulled the following year, making it one of the shortest unions connected to the Kardashian family’s history. Multiple sources attribute the collapse to ongoing tension involving Kris Jenner and Robert’s children from that earlier marriage, though this piece treats that explanation as reported rather than independently confirmed by either party directly.
Years later, according to at least one source describing a 2014 interview, Jan made a striking and controversial claim: that Robert had privately told her Khloé Kardashian was not his biological daughter. The Kardashian family denied this, and court records list Robert Kardashian as Khloé’s legal father. This piece isn’t taking a position on the truth of the underlying claim it’s simply noting that it was made, that it was denied, and that the legal record states something different from the claim itself, which is the responsible way to handle a serious, disputed allegation like this one.
A Life That Chose Privacy Twice Over
After the annulment, Jan Ashley returned to a quiet life in Tulsa, largely out of public view for the following sixteen years. She died on October 1, 2015, at age 67; at least one source notes a competing report of October 8, though the more consistently cited date across sources is the earlier one. Her survivors reportedly included a brother and extended family, and she had no biological children from either marriage. Perhaps the most quietly telling detail in her entire story is where she chose, or was chosen, to be buried: Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, beside John Ashley not connected in any way to the Kardashian family whose name briefly attached to hers. That choice, made or honored decades after her marriage to John Ashley ended in his death, says something real about which relationship actually defined her life.
Correcting a Claim That Doesn’t Hold Up
One source reviewed in earlier research for this piece described Jan Ashley as having also been briefly married to television host Larry King in 1997. That claim doesn’t survive scrutiny against the better-documented timeline: John Ashley died in October 1997, and Jan married Robert Kardashian just over a year later, in November 1998 a sequence that leaves no plausible room for an additional marriage in between. More authoritative rundowns of Larry King’s actual marital history, including detailed pieces from Fox News and Newsweek covering all seven of his wives by name, don’t include a Jan Ashley at all. This piece treats the Larry King claim as a fabrication or a confusion with an unrelated person, and excludes it from Jan Ashley’s confirmed biography entirely.
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Jan Ashley Net Worth
Jan Ashley’s exact net worth was never publicly verified. There are no reliable financial records showing her personal assets, income, investments, or overall wealth, so any specific dollar amount found online should be treated as speculative.
Ashley was not known for having a major business empire or highly public entertainment career. Her public recognition mainly came from her marriages, including her brief 1998 marriage to attorney Robert Kardashian Sr. Because her financial life remained private, Jan Ashley’s net worth is best described as unknown rather than assigning an unsupported estimate.
FAQs
Who was Jan Ashley?
She was the third wife of actor and producer John Ashley and, later, the second wife of attorney Robert Kardashian Sr.
Was Jan Ashley married to Larry King?
No. This claim appears on one source but is contradicted by the documented timeline of her actual marriages and doesn’t appear in detailed, reliable accounts of Larry King’s marital history.
How long was Jan Ashley married to John Ashley?
Nearly 19 years, from 1978 until his death in October 1997.
What was the duration of Jan Ashley and Robert Kardashian’s marriage?
Approximately 30 days before the marriage was annulled.
Did Jan Ashley have children?
No, from either marriage.
What did Jan Ashley claim about Khloé Kardashian?
She reportedly said in a 2014 interview that Robert Kardashian privately told her Khloé wasn’t his biological daughter a claim the Kardashian family denied, with court records listing him as her legal father.
Where was Jan Ashley buried?
At Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, beside her first husband, John Ashley.
When did Jan Ashley die?
October 1, 2015, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at age 67 (one source cites October 8 instead).
Final Words
Jan Ashley lived a largely private life, despite becoming briefly connected to the Kardashian family through her marriage to Robert Kardashian Sr. Her story also included a long marriage to actor and producer John Ashley, a pageant background, and professional experience before her later years away from the public spotlight. Her marriage to Robert Kardashian lasted only about a month, while her nearly 19-year marriage to John Ashley represented a much longer chapter of her life.
Although Jan Ashley later attracted attention because of her disputed statements concerning Khloé Kardashian’s paternity, those claims remain unverified and were denied by the Kardashian family. With limited reliable information about her finances and private affairs, her net worth cannot be established with confidence. Ultimately, Ashley is remembered for her own history in pageantry and marriage, as well as her brief connection to one of America’s most famous families.
