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Jay Asher | |
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 Asher at the 2011 Texas Book Festival | |
| Born | September 30, 1975 Arcadia, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Genre | Young adult |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Notable works | Thirteen Reasons Why (2007) |
| Spouse | Joan Marie (m. 2002 – div. c. 2018) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | |
| jayasher | |
Jay Asher (born September 30, 1975) is an American writer and novelist. He is best known for writing the bestselling 2007 book Thirteen Reasons Why .
Asher was born in Arcadia, California, on September 30, 1975. He is half Jewish. [1] He attended Cuesta Community College and later California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, before leaving during his junior year to pursue his career as a writer. Asher spent years trying to kick-start a career writing children's picture books.[ citation needed ] During this time, Asher worked at a shoe store, a trophy shop, libraries, and bookstores. [2]
Asher has published four books: Thirteen Reasons Why, a 2007 New York Times best-selling young-adult fiction novel; The Future of Us, co-written by Carolyn Mackler; What Light; and Piper. Asher has also written several picture books and middle school humor novels. Thirteen Reasons Why won several awards and received five stars from Teen Book Review. It also received high praise from Ellen Hopkins, Sherman Alexie, Chris Crutcher, and Gordon Korman.
Asher's novel, Thirteen Reasons Why , was considered for a film treatment with Selena Gomez starring. Netflix released a series based on the novel on March 31, 2017, with Gomez serving as executive producer. [3]
In April 2017, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and Asher's agent received an email signed anonymously by seven female members of the society accusing Asher of using conferences to lure women into sexual affairs and that he threatened them to keep quiet. Asher, who is married, admitted to engaging in multiple affairs with members of the society and agreed to no longer attend the conferences in any capacity. [4]
In February 2018, the society announced that it had expelled and cut ties with Asher in 2017 following allegations of sexual harassment. Asher disputed that he was expelled stating that he left voluntarily, and filed a lawsuit against the society for defamation. [5] Prior to the lawsuit the allegations were not publicly reported in the press. [4] Asher maintains that the affairs were consensual and that he has been a target of harassment for a decade. Asher has not revealed the names of his accusers, stating that he has no intention in doing so. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed, although The Free Press reported that correspondence by the society's lawyer referred to Asher's exit as "voluntary". [6]
On February 13, 2018, a spokesperson for Netflix confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Asher did not play a creative role in the further seasons of the series. [7]
In January 2026, in an article from the The Free Press by Kat Rosenfield, a columnist for UnHerd and Reason, Asher denied the sexual misconduct allegations. According to the article, the individual who had written the email had been engaged in an extramarital affair with Asher in 2005, and began cyberstalking and harassing him after the affair ended. According to Asher, the affair ended after he told her she was not the only woman he was being unfaithful with. The article also claims that one of the other seven signatories had felt uncomfortable with the insinuations made in the email against Asher, saying that the affairs he had engaged in were all consensual, and that the individual who had written the email had done so out of jealousy. [6]
Asher married Joan Marie on September 7, 2002. [8] Asher lives in California. [9]
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