Family, Friends Talk About "Kristen" as Media Swarms

Photographs of the West 25th Street building where Ashley Alexandra Dupre, aka "Kristen" the prostitute, lives by Seth Wenig/AP

News that Governor Spitzer's high-class escort "Kristen" is a 22-year-old who grew up on the Jersey shore named Ashley Alexandra Dupre has captivated the media. They are camped outside of her Flatiron-area apartment on West 25th Street (one commenter lamented the news crews were preventing him to get to his CVS!) for a glimpse of the aspiring singer whose only comment, so far, has been to the NY Times: “I just don’t want to be thought of as a monster. This has been a very difficult time. It is complicated."

Since Dupre isn't really talking, the media is going for anyone connected to her. Her brother, Kyle Youmans, told reporters outside his NJ home, "I love my sister, and I can't make a comment." He also offered to the Post, "I love her. I am by her side. I found out from her. The family is supporting her. She is fine." And a high school classmate said, "She was never slutty. She would date older guys, but it wasn't like she was running around sleeping with everyone."

Two friends, rappers named Logan and Mysterious, told the Daily News, "She's a sweet person. She's a good person. She's friendly. She's outgoing," and wanted to let her know "You know we got your back. You're our little sister." They also appeared on the Today Show and relayed a story about Dupre saving food for a homeless person:

As the media - and public - is eager for more information on Dupre, the Sun reports sex worker advocates are worried about Dupre being "dragged into the scandal and subjected to public humiliation." They say there needs to be legislation to protect sex workers' rights; Sex Workers Action New York advocacy group said, "Every single sex worker, regardless of whether they're working on the street or at the Mayflower Hotel, faces discrimination and oppression in our society."

NY Times op-ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof's column mentions how Spitzer "buttonholed me because he wanted credit for passage of a tough state law against sex trafficking. Frankly, he deserves credit, for the law took the innovative step of cracking down on johns by increasing penalties." Kristof also points out that decriminalizing prostitution in other countries has led to the trafficking of underage girls.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on March 13, 2008 1:42 PM

Comments [rss]

Goomba

Wheres the nude pics of the puttana?

ninnikuramen

Monica was interning for the job that Kristen has. If she hadn't become a victim so soon, she would have been living in the flatiron district making 4 grand an hour by now.

emilydickinson

I'm very dissapointed in the lack of trite Monica Lewinsky references. Tut tit.

Sleeping your way out of poverty is a time honored tradition. Ms. Dupre, Moll Flanders would be proud. I'm all for her. Being a hooker is way less shady than working at a hedge fund.

berniegoetz

"Every single sex worker, regardless of whether they're working on the street or at the Mayflower Hotel, faces discrimination and oppression in our society."

Jeebus Effin Crisco...can the assortment of oppressed and discriminated-against people expand any further? Pretty soon they're gonna have to re-brand the "Where's Waldo?" books as "Spot the ONE Fucking Person Left in the Universe Who ISN'T a Victim."

ninnikuramen

could we bring this back to the relevant topic at hand? For those that think kristen is not all that hot, wait until you see the chicks that Paterson gets busted with

EastRiver

If your issue is with the mass media I wish you had said so in the first place. Anyway, I hear what you're saying.

Bottomless Chips

To avoid more flaming, I'll end with this comment:

We went to war over 9/11 (well..) in an effort to stop further attacks like the one downtown. We're still in this fight that uses more resources and limb and life than the governor's office.

Just like Vitter, Foley, and Craig, we'll eventually forget about these people, sans the wide-stance jokes for a couple of decades to come. So it is disturbing that we sensationalize, and our media seeks answers to these issues of someone's sex life with the tenacity that they should be using when reporting on Iraq, civil liberties, our public education in NYC, etc. Not to say there isn't a place for the light-hearted fare. But mocking those things, can be just as entertaining for news-worthy types of things. cf. The Daily Show, Colbert Report, Rush, Olbermann's Worst Person in the World.

To sum up: What has become "news" is really different than past generations.

Matt Joyce

I dunno... for 5Gs... I'd expect

"2 chicks at the same time"

Not one myspace wanna be singer..

glennQNYC

When that guy has to pause to calculate "1.. 2... 3..., yeah, three years" I lost it!

Bottomless Chips

Ohshitwelostthesuperbowl.com

No witty reply from me here. The Giants played better that day. I'm sure the Patriots wished they played better that day (and gameplanned better), nothing I can control. You can't win them all.

Bottomless Chips

It's self-righteous for me to talk about a war that was waged because of events that unfolded in NYC instead of a sensationalized sex scandal?

midtown

This it the best thing that ever happened to her.

She will make a few bucks from her 15 minutes of fame (some media outlet will pay for her exclusive story) and she'll get a (temporary) break from blowing middle aged men. Win Win.

EastRiver

Can we get a post about this instead of Spitzer, his money, and his sex life?

As someone said, this is Gothamist. I don't need Iraq news here. I can read it elsewhere and I do. Some of us have more than one browser window open at a time. Learn to multitask and get off your self righteous soapbox. The fact that you're here reading this and taking the time to comment means you're as bad as the rest of us.

JenChungsBaby

I think you need Iraqist.com. Or maybe Ohshitwelostthesuperbowl.com.

Bottomless Chips

@ Papercutninja

Well considering we went to war with Iraq because 9/11 "changed everything," I think it is relevant.

Not to mention that war should be discussed more often than it is by the mainstream media, and Today-show like blogs, blogs like Gothamist.

JenChungsBaby

I actually do feel bad for this hooker. It's not like the Governor had an affair with one person -- he banged god knows how many hookers over the last ten years. This chick was just one of them, but she's the one who got swept up in the whole thing because she just happened to be with him this one time when he was caught on a wiretap setting the whole thing up. It could have easily been anybody.

Papercutninja

@23

Who gives a shit about the iraqis. THis is Gothamist, about NY. Not Stoneageist about the middle east. You also neglect to remember that the iraqis are also killing our soldiers. Shit happens in war.

Bottomless Chips

US Soldiers killed a 10 year old Iraqi girl today.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkx-3oYeFwuWKCusr2jrojs98w8wD8VCG7Q01

Can we get a post about this instead of Spitzer, his money, and his sex life?

Ethan

Paris, Britney, Kristen.

blablanyc

Her family is in denial. Your daughter and sister is a hooker.

Because she is holding up two fingers on each hand, does that mean she is only two input?