Former Disney Star Claims Mom Was ‘Financially’ Abusive

Former Nickelodeon child star Ashley Argota claims she was the victim of financial abuse at the hands of her own mother.

The 32-year-old actress, best known for her roles on the Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson, alongside, Keke Palmer, made the shocking claim in a new TikTok over the weekend. 

‘In addition to my mom being a narcissist, she was also emotionally, physically and mentally [abusive]. All of the things you can think of, plus [she was] financially abusive,’ Argota alleged. ‘Like I said in my last video, I was not in charge of my finances — even though I was old enough to be in charge of my finances.’ 

The actress continued: ‘She basically would do things like get on the phone with financial institutions, and she would just hand me the phone and say, “Hey, they just need authorization for you to talk to me.” Because she was my mom and I trusted her with my money, I would do it. Then I don’t know [what] she did.’ 

Later, she discovered the money she made performing on shows like True Jackson, VP and Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures was gone. 

‘Part of me — of course — is like, ‘That is on me. I should have known better about my finances.’ But also, she was my mom and I trusted her with that,’ Argota explained. ‘She would also do things like with my dad — who was working full time as a truck driver at the time.’

Former Nickelodeon child star Ashley Argota claims she was the victim of financial abuse at the hands of her own mother; seen in 2023

Argota recalled how her mom would allegedly wait for his ‘paycheck to be deposited into the joint account’ then ‘give him $100 for the week to live off.’

‘It was basically an allowance off of his own paycheck, and then she would just take the rest of the money,’ she claimed. ‘In case you are not aware, $100 is not enough for a truck driver who’s driving cross country for hours and hours and hours and weeks at a time to live off of. That’s just not a possibility.’

The actress claimed her mom ‘gambled’ a lot of her money and bought ‘really unnecessary things’ for their family while she was at school.

‘I haven’t talked to my mom in a really long time. That’s OK, and that’s by design. That’s my choice. It’s safer, it’s better and it’s healthier for me. I know I’m not alone in this. It happens to a lot of people,’ Argota said.

Despite explaining that there are ‘protections in place’ for child stars, Argota said her mom found ways to get around the system.

‘She still managed to spend all the money from that. … It was really crazy trying to get out of that relationship, but I made it out. And I feel like being a mom now, I have a chance to give [my son] the childhood that I never had,’ she told her followers. 

Argota has chosen not to publicly reveal her mother’s identity.  

After becoming a mom last year, Argota told her Instagram followers she was committed to breaking the cycle of generational trauma.

The 32-year-old actress, best known for her roles on the Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson, alongside, Keke Palmer , made the shocking claim in a new TikTok over the weekend

‘In addition to my mom being a narcissist, she was also emotionally, physically and mentally [abusive]. All of the things you can think of, plus [she was] financially abusive,’ Argota alleged

The child star was also cast in Nickelodeon’s Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures as well as an episode network’s show BrainSurge; seen in 2023

‘For as long as i can remember, my mom told me that my nose was too big and made me pinch it constantly to make it smaller. I think of this every time I do my makeup or see a picture of myself,’ she wrote on Instagram. ‘Well, I have a kid now and he has my nose and I LOVE his cute lil baby nose. motherhood is healing.’ 

Argota, who was born was born in Redlands, California, rose to fame as Lulu on the Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson.

She began her career in entertainment as contestant on CBS’ Star Search in 2003. 

Her first role was in the 2007 independent film Schooled. A year later, she scored her part in True Jackson, playing one of Palmer’s best friends.

The child star was also cast in Nickelodeon’s Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures as well as an episode network’s show BrainSurge. 

Argota pictured on Disney Channel’s series, Austin & Ally, with Ross Lynch; pictured in 2014

Ahe appeared in two episodes of Sabrina Carpenter’s show, Girl Meets World (pictured above in 2016)

In 2014, she appeared in the Disney Channel Original movie, How to Build a Better Boy. That same year, she appeared on ABC Family’s drama, The Fosters. 

Two years later, she appeared in two episodes of Sabrina Carpenter’s show, Girl Meets World. 

Additionally, she starred in the show Aladdin and His Winter Wish at the Pasadena Playhouse. 

As for her musical pursuits, she released two independent albums Dreams Come True (2006) and Ashley (2007). 

In 2021, she married actor Mick Torres and the couple welcomed their first child in June 2024.