Ashley Iaconetti is opening up about the financial pressures surrounding the Rhode Island coffee shop she owns with husband Jared Haibon — and how the situation has impacted their marriage on season 1 of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.”
During the May 17 episode of the Bravo series, Ashley candidly discussed the couple’s differing views on their business, Audrey’s Coffee House & Lounge, while filming an influencer campaign with her sister.
“We have multiple [influencer] deals a year that are worth more than what Jared nets at Audrey’s in a year. And that’s an understatement,” Ashley said on the episode.
The former “Bachelor in Paradise” star explained that influencing and podcasting have become much more profitable for her than the coffee shop business.
“Obviously, it’s more lucrative than Audrey’s will ever be — and [Jared] knows this,” she added.
Ashley Iaconetti Says Influencing Causes Tension in Her Marriage
Ashley explained that one recurring issue in her relationship with Jared is his reluctance to lean further into influencer work, despite his large social media following.
“I’m always on Jared for engagement,” Ashley told producers. “Wouldn’t you just rather put more effort into something you can just make more money with? That’s kinda my bug-a-boo with him spending so much time at Audrey’s.”
She then joked, “However, I don’t need the money of Jared using his very attractive looks to make more on Instagram. It’s okay.”
Ashley later elaborated on their different approaches to social media while speaking with her sister.
“He puts them off. This is like one of our things where we’re so different,” Ashley said of Jared’s influencer opportunities.
She continued, “And I’m always trying to encourage him to do more organic content. I really would like him to just try and find a niche that he’s passionate about on Instagram, just because he has such a big following already. I want him to use it.”
Ashley previously explained to BravoTV.com that she originally planned to pursue a career in entertainment journalism after attending Syracuse University.
“I actually went to broadcasting school. I got my master’s in broadcasting at Syracuse,” Ashley shared. “I wanted to be an entertainment reporter.”
She added that her reality TV career eventually led her toward podcasting and influencing.
“[I] kind of found my place in influencing and podcasting, so that’s what I do now,” she said of “The Ben And Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast,” which she co-hosts with former “Bachelor” star Ben Higgins. “I speak to my 1.2M followers on Instagram about mom stuff, beauty stuff, life stuff.”
Audrey’s Coffee House Has Struggled Financially
Ashley previously revealed during the April 2 episode of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” that Audrey’s Coffee House & Lounge has not been as financially successful as the couple initially expected.
“It’s been almost four years since we opened up Audrey’s Coffee House & Lounge,” Ashley said. “It is the second-rated celebrity-owned restaurant in the United States — Bon Jovi being number one.”
“Now, is it a huge money maker? No,” she continued. “We thought it would make more money than it is.”
Jared has remained passionate about the Rhode Island-based business and discussed its importance to him in a December 2024 interview with South County Life magazine.
“I love the community that Rhode Island has,” Jared told the outlet. “Being able to own a business that has built a little sense of community, in terms of students wanting to come and study there, [to] lawyers [bringing] clients because they need places to meet up.”
He continued, “I have a lot of strangers that I did not know prior to opening, that now come in daily, which means the world to me.”
Jared later added, “Our phrase is ‘Coffee til cocktails.’ We have a lot of regulars that come in and we know everybody, like Cheers, where everybody knows your name. That’s what we strive toward.”
Ashley Iaconetti Gets Emotional About Her Marriage on RHORI
Ashley and Jared first met on season 2 of “Bachelor in Paradise” in 2015 before later getting engaged during season 5 of the ABC reality series. The couple married in August 2019 and now share two sons, Dawson and Hayden.
In a teaser clip, Ashley became emotional while discussing Jared’s struggles during a conversation with co-star Jo-Ellen Tiberi.
“He’s been feeling like he’s failing,” Ashley said.
“We have sunshiny days sometimes, but they’re very few and far between,” she continued. “It’s just hard to always be like, ‘He’s not happy, he’s not happy.’”
Ashley also shared that Jared has privately struggled with feelings about balancing family life and work.
“He’s always like, ‘It’s not the kids, and it’s not you,’” Ashley explained. “He feels like he’s not being a good enough father and husband because he’s not bringing anything to the table with his project.”
When Jo-Ellen asked if she reassured him, Ashley replied, “Every day of my life, yeah.”
New episodes of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” air Sundays on Bravo.
