Whitney Way Thore has a crew of close confidants on My Big Fat Fabulous Life, but one of the reality star's best friends is Ashley Baynes. Whitney and Ashley have a long and complicated history of friendship that viewers don't always understand and occasionally question. From the status of her friendship with Whitney after she was fired by the My Big Fat Fabulous Life star to her personal life outside of reality television, here's everything there is to know about Ashley.

Since My Big Fat Fabulous Life premiered in 2015, Ashley has been by Whitney's side and Ashley has been there for Whitney throughout many momentous events in the reality star's life. From picking out wedding dresses before the end of Whitney's engagement with Chase Severino to the fallout of her relationships with exes like Avi Lang, Ashley has stood by Whitney. In turn, when Ashley was pregnant in 2018, Whitney served as her pregnancy coach. Whitney was with Ashley every step of the way from massaging her pregnant friend to induce labor to being at the hospital when she gave birth.

Related: My Big Fat Fabulous Life: Weight Loss Surgery Might Hurt Whitney's Career

The origin of Ashley's relationship with Whitney remains a mystery as the pair can't pin down when it started. Ashley sat down with reality TV star Whitney Thore for an episode of the My Big Fat Fabulous Life podcast to give fans more information about the reality star's best friend. In the podcast, Whitney explained, "Neither one of us remembers how we became friends." Alas, the duo's conversation confirmed that they've been close since college. Fans got to know more about Ashley during her pregnancy leading up to the birth of her daughter, Harper. Regrettably, Harper's father and Ashley's boyfriend, Eric, chose not to appear on TV, so little is known about the couple's relationship. According to Ashley's Facebook, she and Eric have been dating since September 2016.

In addition to Ashley's family life, My Big Fat Fabulous Life fans also got some insight into the professional life of Whitney's best pal. For instance, Ashley's LinkedIn profile notes that the television personality works as a Business Services Coordinator at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Ashley's career has surprisingly been a point of controversy on the show, as Whitney had to fire Ashley as an admin on her No BS Active app. Fans were quick to call Whitney out for firing her best friend, but the My Big Fat Fabulous Life star set the record straight on Instagram. Whitney confirmed that she still employs Ashley, who "has had a full-time job since before she began working on No BS Active." When she's not busy working for her best friend, Ashley is active on Instagram and regularly posts photos of her family.

Ashley has proven herself to be a tried and true friend to fitness app creator Whitney Thore, but she's got more going on in her life than what viewers see on her friend's reality show. From her daughter and boyfriend to her complicated work relationship with Whitney, Ashley has become a fan-favorite part of My Big Fat Fabulous Life. Hopefully, Ashley will continue to share more about her life and inspiring friendship with Whitney on My Big Fat Fabulous Life.

Next: My Big Fat Fabulous Life: Cutest Pics of Chase's Baby Daughter Aurora

Sources: My Big Fat Fabulous Life Podcast, Ashley Baynes/Facebook, Whitney Way Thore/Instagram, Ashley Baynes/Instagram