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Who is Ashby? The hilarious, viral TikTok creator dressing up as the Lorax and Hamilton

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screenshots of @_ashbyflorence_ dressed as the lorax and hamilton

Sometime this week, a TikTok star was born — and she wore an orange, spandex jumpsuit and an oversized fake, yellow mustache. I'm talking, of course, about @_ashbyflorence_.

You've likely seen Ashby if you've logged onto TikTok in the last week or so. Maybe you've seen her on a live stream, or you've seen the viral clips, or you've seen people reacting to the clips, or you've seen others talking about how funny she is. Regardless, she's recently become a fixture on FYPs everywhere, mine included.

Perhaps you're like me, randomly spouting quotes from a woman on TikTok dressed as the Lorax or Alexander Hamilton. Things like, "I'm baaaashful" in a vaguely Midwest accent, or "I'm joooking," or sticking out your tongue, lizard-like, as a punchline. I can't imagine I'm alone in this experience, the strange, viral comedy of Ashby worming into your daily life.

So…who is Ashby?

Best I can tell, Ashby's real name is Ashby Florence and she works a real job doing PR for an entertainment company. (Mashable has reached out to Florence and will update if we receive a response)

But we're not talking Ashby the IRL person, we're talking the suddenly viral comedian. Like others on TikTok recently, she gained some traction recently dressing up as Alexander Hamilton, which somehow became a trend. This lip sync post, for instance, racked up nearly 12 million views.

In general, Ashby channels a version of Hamilton that was fed up and pressed for time. It's pretty funny.

But the best stuff, the funniest stuff — in my opinion — is Ashby's livestreams. They've created an entire ecosystem of clips, especially the ones with Ashby dressed up as the Lorax. Now…why the Lorax? Well, visually, it's funny, and others have dressed like the Lorax on TikTok before. But you haven't really seen it until you see Ashby do it. Her comedic timing, plus the vaguely Midwest accent, plus the big mustache, the big feet, the belly, it's just…perfect. I mean, just watch this post from Ashby that is part Lorax, part Norm from Cheers, part Andrew Dice Clay, part Tim Robinson… part…I don't know.

Why does she stick her tongue out for a punchline? Who knows, but I love it. Why the rough edits? Again, ditto. Why pronounce squirrels like that? Again, love it. People on TikTok have taken to clipping her live streams, pouring over their favorite moments. It's pretty hilarious stuff, and totally strange, and has taken my FYP hostage.

Ashby is a perfect creator for 2025. She's admitted she hasn't seen The Lorax and openly says "give me money" followed with a ITYSL-esque "I'm jokinnnn." She literally talks (in Lorax voice) about milking her viral moment. She re-treads catchphrases like "I'm baaaashful" and makes crass, silly jokes. Not to read too much into a funny person dressing up as the Lorax, but Ashby openly mocks the idea of creators acting like they don't post for the cash. And people really love it. The reaction online has been nearly universally positive, as far as I can tell.

So, what now?

As far as I can tell, the world of Ashby's content is vast. There are videos of her as the Lorax and Hamilton, of course, but also Pitbull (of course) and, well, herself. There are lots of clips to peruse through because livestreams obviously last longer than the typical TikTok.

And Ashby also has another livestream planned for Tuesday around 9 p.m. ET. It's only listed as a surprise character with the description, "I hope I don’t get too bashful." My personal hope is we get more of the Lorax. But whatever it is, we can rest assured it'll be funny and truly strange.

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Hurdle hints and answers for September 28, 2025

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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

Brief.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

SHORT

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Prompt.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

SWIFT

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To scrub.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

SCOUR

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Deprived.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

NEEDY

Final Hurdle hint

Waste.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

TRASH

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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Enjoy the power of ChatGPT, Gemini, and more AI models in one place with this tool on sale

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TL;DR: Make your life even easier with this handy platform that puts multiple AI models in one place, 1min.AI, now $99.99 (reg. $540) for a lifetime subscription.



1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription

Credit: 1min.AI

New to the world of AI? If you’re just discovering the way this new technology can make your life a little easier, get ready to save even more time with 1min.AI.

This platform lets you access multiple AI models in one convenient spot — from ChatGPT to Gemini and Mistral. And right now, you can score a lifetime subscription to 1min.AI’s Advanced Business Plan for just $99.99 (reg. $540).

If you’ve been intimidated to start working with artificial intelligence, 1min.AI makes it totally accessible and a lot more convenient as a central hub for the popular models. This handy tool lets you input your request in one place and enjoy the fruits of multiple AI models’ labor, with no tab-hopping required.

Need to create AI-generated images? Looking to whip up some content for social media? Since all the AI models have different strengths, 1min.AI takes the guesswork out of which service to use. Take advantage of all the perks that ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, Mistral, and more models have to offer, without having to pay multiple subscription costs. Just make sure to check 1min.AI’s output and make sure no light editing is required.

This lifetime subscription to 1min.AI’s Advanced Business Plan provides an unlimited prompt library, unlimited storage, and unlimited brand voice options.

You’ll also receive 4,000,000 credits monthly, which is enough to write 1,112,500 words per month, research up to 5,933 SEO keywords per month, generate up to 1,186 images per month, and create up to 37 videos per month. If you need more credits, you can earn free ones by using the web app, referring a friend, or leaving a review.

Secure a lifetime subscription to 1min.AI’s Advanced Business Plan for just $99.99 (reg. $540).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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The best (and most discreet) sexting apps for confidential chats

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illustration of a woman in her underwear scrolling through a life-size phone.

The best sexting apps open up a whole new frontier for your sex life. You may think of sex as more of an IRL activity, and rightfully so, but sexting is an exciting new form of digital foreplay. It lets you build anticipation to a fever pitch. It's also a fun way to explore your kinks, role-play, and connect with your partner on a deeper level, especially when you’re not physically together.

Sexting (aka talking dirty, swapping nudes, leaving steamy audio notes, etc.) is a portmanteau of "sex" and "text," and it requires a little more thought than opening up a new text message on your phone. You've also got your and your partner's privacy to consider. Likewise, you can't just open a random dating app, slide into someone's DMs, and start a spicy conversation. You might be able to do that on sites like AdultFriendFinder or Grindr, but it could actually be a huge red flag elsewhere.

So, how do you find a sexting partner, and what are the best apps for sexting in 2025?

We tested dozens of platforms, consulted security experts, and spent a lot of time reading terms of service and privacy policies to answer that exact question.

How we picked the best sexting apps

Privacy and security should always be your highest priority. That's why we always put user safety at the top of our list when trying out new sexting apps. (Speaking of privacy, establishing consent before sexting is a must.)

"If an app is being used to share intimate content, privacy features cannot be optional — they’re essential," says Gary Orenstein, Chief Customer Officer at Bitwarden (an open-source password manager). What tops his list? "First and foremost, end-to-end encryption is critical," so only you and your partner see the messages, not even the app company itself.

Orenstein also recommends looking for apps with "built-in controls, such as disappearing messages and self-destructing media [which] help minimize long-term exposure of shared materials" and features like "screenshot detection or alerts [that] can discourage unauthorized saving," though these aren't always foolproof.

Whether you’re in a committed relationship, single and swiping on hookup apps, looking for a regular sexting buddy, or amping up a solo sesh with steamy instructions from an AI companion, we recommend downloading an app for safe sexting. After all, if you believe in safe sex, you should practice safe sexting, too.

Based on hands-on testing, expert opinions, and user reviews, we picked the best sexting apps for you to try in 2025.

Recent updates to this guide:

We regularly test new apps and dating platforms. For our most recent update to this guide on Sept. 27, 2025, we made the following changes:

  • Lovesense Remote: We added Lovesense Remote as the app that's "Best for Group Sexting." Lovesense Remote is also a fun way for couples (and polyamorous folks) to incorporate sexting and Bluetooth sex toys to their love life.

  • FetLife: We named FetLife "Best for Niche Kinks & Fetishes." This social networking platform is popular in the kinkster community and can be a good way to connect with sexy new friends.

  • Confide: We've once again named this the best overall sexting app, replacing Signal as the top pick. We still recommend Signal as the best free secure messaging app. On balance, we think Confide's security and privacy tools give it the edge.

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