Breaking news:Nickelodeon Star Ashley Argota Shares New Details About Mom’s Alleged Abuse, Including the Night She Was ‘Choked’ (Exclusive)

At age 15 in 2008, Ashley Argota Torres appeared to be living every kid’s dream while starring alongside Keke Palmer in the Nickelodeon teen sitcom True Jackson, VP.

But behind the scenes, the actress, now 32, tells PEOPLE she was struggling as she endured what she claims was deep emotional, physical and financial abuse from her mom, whose name she has chosen to keep private.

“I’m a mom now, so I feel like I have a new perspective and a new outlook on everything,” says Argota Torres, who shares 13-month-old son Michael with husband Mick Torres. “I would never do to my son what my mom did to me.”

Argota Torres recently made headlines for speaking out about the alleged abuse on TikTok.
Now, she’s going deeper into everything she went through.

“So many people have commented on my TikToks, like, ‘You were my childhood. I had no idea that this was happening to you,’ or, ‘My childhood is ruined,'” she says. “I’m not meaning to ruin anyone’s childhood, but if sharing this can help even just a few people, then it’s totally worth it. And as a new mom, I feel like I get to rewrite my story here.”

Argota Torres’ mom has not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Argota Torres’ acting career began when she was just 5.
At 11, she booked the role of Young Nala in the Broadway tour of Disney’s The Lion King. That’s when she says she was first set up with a Coogan account, a special bank account required in certain states for child actors to protect a portion of their earnings from being touched until they turn 18.

Throughout her childhood, Argota Torres claims her mom kept her isolated outside of work by choosing to homeschool her and by choosing to have the family live about two hours outside of L.A., where she’d often have to travel for auditions.

She says her mom’s abuse really ramped up when she began shooting True Jackson, VP.
“I was starting to make friends and getting close to my cast, so I think she felt her control and her manipulation starting to slip,” she says.

If she was ever invited to a birthday party or to hangout with her friends, Argota Torres says her mom would insist on going with her and waiting in the car. When it came to her physical appearance, she says her mom would frequently criticize it, her nose in particular.

“I would have to sit there and pinch the bridge of my nose all the time because she was like, ‘Your nose is too flat, so you need to pinch your nose to make sure it’s not flat,'” she says.

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Nickelodeon Star Ashley Argota Shares New Details About Mom’s Alleged Abuse, Including the Night She Was ‘Choked’ (Exclusive)
In an interview with PEOPLE, the ‘True Jackson, VP’ alum details her mom’s alleged financial, emotional and physical abuse

By Brianne Tracy Published on August 19, 2025 04:48PM EDT
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Ashley Argota
Ashley Argota in 2025; Ashley Argota in 2009.
Credit : Unique Nicole/Getty; Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
NEED TO KNOW
True Jackson, VP alum Ashley Argota Torres opens up to PEOPLE about how her mom allegedly financially, emotionally and physically abused her between the ages of 15 and 22
Argota Torres claims her mom “choked her” after she returned to their family home from a date at 22, prompting her to move out and cut off contact
Argota Torres shares how motherhood has healed her, and why she felt ready to share her story now
At age 15 in 2008, Ashley Argota Torres appeared to be living every kid’s dream while starring alongside Keke Palmer in the Nickelodeon teen sitcom True Jackson, VP.

But behind the scenes, the actress, now 32, tells PEOPLE she was struggling as she endured what she claims was deep emotional, physical and financial abuse from her mom, whose name she has chosen to keep private.

“I’m a mom now, so I feel like I have a new perspective and a new outlook on everything,” says Argota Torres, who shares 13-month-old son Michael with husband Mick Torres. “I would never do to my son what my mom did to me.”

Argota Torres recently made headlines for speaking out about the alleged abuse on TikTok.
Now, she’s going deeper into everything she went through.

“So many people have commented on my TikToks, like, ‘You were my childhood. I had no idea that this was happening to you,’ or, ‘My childhood is ruined,'” she says. “I’m not meaning to ruin anyone’s childhood, but if sharing this can help even just a few people, then it’s totally worth it. And as a new mom, I feel like I get to rewrite my story here.”

Argota Torres’ mom has not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Argota Torres’ acting career began when she was just 5.
At 11, she booked the role of Young Nala in the Broadway tour of Disney’s The Lion King. That’s when she says she was first set up with a Coogan account, a special bank account required in certain states for child actors to protect a portion of their earnings from being touched until they turn 18.

Throughout her childhood, Argota Torres claims her mom kept her isolated outside of work by choosing to homeschool her and by choosing to have the family live about two hours outside of L.A., where she’d often have to travel for auditions.

She says her mom’s abuse really ramped up when she began shooting True Jackson, VP.
“I was starting to make friends and getting close to my cast, so I think she felt her control and her manipulation starting to slip,” she says.

Nickelodeon’s Ashley Argota (L) and Keke Palmer pose during Nickelodeon’s Annual Worldwide Day of Play at NYC Big Brothers Big Sisters
Ashley Argota Torres and Keke Palmer in 2010.
Neilson Barnard/Getty
If she was ever invited to a birthday party or to hangout with her friends, Argota Torres says her mom would insist on going with her and waiting in the car. When it came to her physical appearance, she says her mom would frequently criticize it, her nose in particular.

“I would have to sit there and pinch the bridge of my nose all the time because she was like, ‘Your nose is too flat, so you need to pinch your nose to make sure it’s not flat,'” she says.

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Argota Torres claims her mom also exerted control using finances.
Although Argota Torres was “earning a lot of money” from True Jackson, VP, she claims her mom had full and total control of her accounts, including her Coogan account.

“No matter how much was put away in my Coogan account, she would’ve spent it,” she says. “I don’t know where that Coogan money went. I was 15, so I totally trusted her with all of the finances. She would say, ‘All right, this is the bill, and this is how much you’re going to input into the computer, and this is what we’re going to pay,’ but I never knew how much was on my accounts.”

Argota Torres says her dad similarly trusted his wife with his finances.

“She would deposit my dad’s paycheck, and she would give him $100,” claims Argota Torres. “He would have to stretch that for the week, which was so crazy to me because he was a truck driver.”