A little questionable P.R. doesn't seem to have scared Ashley Dupré away from the spotlight.
E! News has learned exclusively that the former high-priced prostitute at the center of the Eliot Spitzer scandal is developing a cable reality series and is considering moving from New York to Los Angeles.
When contacted by E! News, a rep for Dupré declined to comment, only saying, "She has no TV deal.” Her rep would not address specifically whether she's developing a series.
A source tells E! News, however, that Dupré, 23, has been developing an unscripted show with production execs at L.A.-based Handprint Entertainment, the same company that has managed the careers of reality icons Nicole Richie and Pamela Anderson.
One of the concepts being considered is a dating format.
"They're talking to MTV about Ashley being the next Tila Tequila," says a source close to the project. (Handprint execs couldn't be reached for comment on the project; MTV declined comment.)
News of Dupré's reality-TV aspirations comes less than a week after she abandoned her lawsuit against Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis.
According to a statement released to E! News by Dupré’s lawyer, Richard C. Wolfe, “Ms. Dupré wants to eliminate all negativity from her life and focus on the positive. She has prospects for many exciting new projects and is looking forward to starting a new chapter.”
As for her involvement in the criminal investigation against Spitzer being conducted by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, she was granted immunity on March 15, 2008, after agreeing to testify against the former governor.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has temporarily delayed the criminal proceedings while the IRS conducts their own investigation to see whether Spitzer misspent public funds (on things like the Emperors Club, the call-girl service that employed Dupré).
—Reporting by Matt Donnelly and Claudia Rosenbaum