In 2021 she played Paula Jones in the Ryan Murphy limited drama series American Crime Story: Impeachment on FX. The role, a departure from her comedic roles, was a serious one which demanded a physical transformation. Ashford did not meet with the real life figure but heavily relied on the wealth of material available. She said "I can have empathy for the fact that she came from a very conservative family...I also have a great deal of empathy for the way the media treated her and the way she was seduced by right-wing operatives to make certain choices at the same time." The following year she played Irene in the Hulu limited series Welcome to Chippendales. She starred alongside Kumail Nanjiani, Murray Bartlett, and Juliette Lewis.
