Ashlee Petersen spent years working behind the scenes on some of the biggest TV shows and films of the 1990s, and for a while, she was also known as the wife of actor Jason Priestley. But her story doesn’t end with that marriage. Petersen built a real career as an award-winning makeup artist, then made an even bigger pivot later in life, moving into addiction counseling and mental health work. It’s a career arc you don’t see often in Hollywood circles: from the glamour of network television sets to helping people rebuild their lives. Here’s a closer look at who Ashlee Petersen is, how she got her start, her brief marriage to Priestley, and the path she’s on today.

Who Is Ashlee Petersen?

Ashlee Petersen is an American makeup artist, born on September 3, 1969. She spent more than two decades working in television and film, building a solid reputation in her industry before eventually stepping away from entertainment altogether. She’s probably most recognized by the public for one thing: her marriage to Canadian actor Jason Priestley, best known for playing Brandon Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210. But reducing her to that connection skips over the career she actually built, and the work she’s done since.

Early Career in Television and Film

Petersen’s professional start goes back to 1990, when she began working as a makeup and hair artist on the TV series Tribes. It was a long-running gig, and it gave her the foundation she’d build on for the next two decades. From there, her career picked up momentum fast. She worked across television and film, eventually earning recognition at the Emmy level for her makeup work on television miniseries during the mid-1990s, with nominations noted by the Television Academy for projects in 1994, 1996, and 1997.

Working With Big Names in Feature Film

By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Petersen had moved firmly into feature films. She served as the personal makeup artist for Ashley Judd on the 1999 thriller Double Jeopardy, a high-profile credit that reflected how far she’d come in the industry. She kept building from there. Petersen took on the role of makeup department head for the parody film Not Another Teen Movie in 2001, and held the same title that same year on the sci-fi thriller Impostor. She also worked as key makeup artist on The Salton Sea in 2002, and led the makeup department again on the romantic comedy Down with Love in 2003. Her credits over the years also include projects like Barb Wire, Killing Zoe, Yes, Dear, and State of Emergency, among others. It’s the kind of resume that shows steady, respected work rather than a single breakout moment, which is often how careers in makeup artistry actually go.

Meeting and Marrying Jason Priestley

Petersen met Jason Priestley on the set of Beverly Hills, 90210, where she was working as a makeup and hair artist during the show’s run in the early 1990s. Priestley was already one of the show’s biggest stars at the time. Their relationship eventually turned into marriage, and the two wed in the late 1990s. Reports on the exact date vary slightly, with some accounts placing the wedding in 1998 and others citing February 1999, but the marriage itself is well documented.

A Short-Lived Marriage

The marriage didn’t last long. Petersen and Priestley separated after less than a year together and finalized their divorce around 2000, making it one of the shorter celebrity marriages of that era. The couple did not have children together. After the split, Priestley went on to marry Naomi Lowde-Priestley in 2005, and the two have two children together. Petersen, for her part, has kept her personal life almost entirely private since the divorce, with no public relationships reported afterward.

Life After Hollywood: A Career Shift

This is where Petersen’s story becomes genuinely interesting, and where it moves well beyond “the actor’s ex-wife” framing that so often follows her name. At some point after building a long career in makeup artistry, Petersen went through her own struggles with mental health and addiction. Rather than keeping that private and moving on quietly, she used the experience to change the direction of her entire career.

Becoming a Certified Addiction Counselor

Petersen went back to school and earned her CADC-I certification, becoming a certified drug and alcohol counselor. She completed her training through West Los Angeles Community College and has since worked as a program coordinator, case manager, recovery specialist, and sober coach. She’s held roles at treatment centers including Get Well Behavioral Health in Los Angeles, where she works as a case manager and wellness coach, helping clients and their families navigate recovery and mental health treatment. It’s a full career change, and not a small one. Going from an Emmy-nominated makeup artist working on major film sets to a licensed counselor helping people through addiction recovery is a significant shift, and by most accounts, it’s one she made because she genuinely wanted to help others going through what she’d been through herself.

Public Reaction to Her Story

Petersen has never sought out media attention, and she doesn’t appear to be chasing it now either. Most of what’s known about her recovery work comes from professional bios tied to her counseling career rather than tabloid coverage. That said, people who do come across her story tend to react to the same thing: respect for how openly she’s approached the transition from entertainment to mental health work. In an industry that often treats addiction as a scandal to bury, Petersen’s choice to build a second career around helping others recover stands out as a genuinely admirable move.

FAQs ABout Ashlee Petersen

Who is Ashlee Petersen?

Ashlee Petersen is an American makeup artist who worked in film and television for over two decades before transitioning into a career as a certified drug and alcohol counselor.

Was Ashlee Petersen married to Jason Priestley?

Yes. She married actor Jason Priestley in the late 1990s after meeting him on the set of Beverly Hills, 90210. The marriage ended in divorce around 2000.

Did Ashlee Petersen and Jason Priestley have children?

No, the couple did not have children together during their marriage.

What is Ashlee Petersen’s career today?

She now works as a certified addiction counselor, case manager, and wellness coach, helping clients and families navigate recovery from substance abuse.

What is Ashlee Petersen known for in the entertainment industry?

She’s known for her makeup work on films like Double Jeopardy, The Salton Sea, and Down with Love, along with Emmy-nominated work on television miniseries in the 1990s.

Final Thoughts

Ashlee Petersen’s story is worth more attention than it usually gets. Yes, she was married to Jason Priestley, and yes, that connection is how a lot of people first hear her name. But her actual career, first as a respected makeup artist on major film and TV productions, then as someone who rebuilt her life and turned that experience into a way to help others, tells a much fuller story. She’s not chasing a comeback or trying to stay relevant in Hollywood. She’s doing meaningful work in a completely different field now, and that shift alone says a lot about who she is.

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