Sometime this week, a TikTok star was born — and she wore an orange, spandex jumpsuit and an oversized fake, yellow mustache. I’m talking, of course, about @_ashbyflorence_.
You’ve likely seen Ashby if you’ve logged onto TikTok in the last week or so. Maybe you’ve seen her on a live stream, or you’ve seen the viral clips, or you’ve seen people reacting to the clips, or you’ve seen others talking about how funny she is. Regardless, she’s recently become a fixture on FYPs everywhere, mine included.
Perhaps you’re like me, randomly spouting quotes from a woman on TikTok dressed as the Lorax or Alexander Hamilton. Things like, “I’m baaaashful” in a vaguely Midwest accent, or “I’m joooking,” or sticking out your tongue, lizard-like, as a punchline. I can’t imagine I’m alone in this experience, the strange, viral comedy of Ashby worming into your daily life.
So…who is Ashby?
Best I can tell, Ashby’s real name is Ashby Florence and she works a real job doing PR for an entertainment company. (Mashable has reached out to Florence and will update if we receive a response)
But we’re not talking Ashby the IRL person, we’re talking the suddenly viral comedian. Like others on TikTok recently, she gained some traction recently dressing up as Alexander Hamilton, which somehow became a trend. This lip sync post, for instance, racked up nearly 12 million views.
Mashable Trend Report
In general, Ashby channels a version of Hamilton that was fed up and pressed for time. It’s pretty funny.
But the best stuff, the funniest stuff — in my opinion — is Ashby’s livestreams. They’ve created an entire ecosystem of clips, especially the ones with Ashby dressed up as the Lorax. Now…why the Lorax? Well, visually, it’s funny, and others have dressed like the Lorax on TikTok before. But you haven’t really seen it until you see Ashby do it. Her comedic timing, plus the vaguely Midwest accent, plus the big mustache, the big feet, the belly, it’s just…perfect. I mean, just watch this post from Ashby that is part Lorax, part Norm from Cheers, part Andrew Dice Clay, part Tim Robinson… part…I don’t know.
Why does she stick her tongue out for a punchline? Who knows, but I love it. Why the rough edits? Again, ditto. Why pronounce squirrels like that? Again, love it. People on TikTok have taken to clipping her live streams, pouring over their favorite moments. It’s pretty hilarious stuff, and totally strange, and has taken my FYP hostage.
Ashby is a perfect creator for 2025. She’s admitted she hasn’t seen The Lorax and openly says “give me money” followed with a ITYSL-esque “I’m jokinnnn.” She literally talks (in Lorax voice) about milking her viral moment. She re-treads catchphrases like “I’m baaaashful” and makes crass, silly jokes. Not to read too much into a funny person dressing up as the Lorax, but Ashby openly mocks the idea of creators acting like they don’t post for the cash. And people really love it. The reaction online has been nearly universally positive, as far as I can tell.
So, what now?
As far as I can tell, the world of Ashby’s content is vast. There are videos of her as the Lorax and Hamilton, of course, but also Pitbull (of course) and, well, herself. There are lots of clips to peruse through because livestreams obviously last longer than the typical TikTok.
And Ashby also has another livestream planned for Tuesday around 9 p.m. ET. It’s only listed as a surprise character with the description, “I hope I don’t get too bashful.” My personal hope is we get more of the Lorax. But whatever it is, we can rest assured it’ll be funny and truly strange.
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