Secret Service Agent’s Daughter Reveals Dad’s Wildest Secrets About Protecting the President

Ashley Hicks grew up thinking her dad was just a regular father.

Even though he had a special work vehicle she was never allowed to go inside. Even when her family went to the White House every year for Christmas parties. And even when she saw him on the morning news wearing a black suit, walking just behind the President of the United States.

“To me, that felt like a normal way to grow up,” Hicks said.

It wasn’t until she got older that she understood how rare and special her dad’s job as a Secret Service agent really was.

Ashley, who has two kids, became popular online after she started sharing stories about her dad’s Secret Service work on TikTok in June. One of her videos, which got almost 2 million views, shared safety tips from her dad — like never sitting with your back to a restaurant door and keeping wasp spray under your bed in case someone breaks in.

In other videos, she talks about how her dad’s training made him notice when she was up to trouble. For example, once when she came home after a night out drinking, even though she wasn’t late, her dad said from across the room, “You think that gum is going to hide what you’ve been doing?”

She also talked about the unusual places Secret Service agents sometimes sleep while on duty. The strangest place her dad ever slept, she said, was on a Navy ship called the USS Iwo Jima when President Bush and his team visited New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Ashley didn’t start posting for internet fame. She said, “I’m in my thirties and not good with social media at all.”

A friend suggested she share stories from her childhood on TikTok — “just for me and my kids to watch someday,” she said. At first, she only had about 13 followers.

But her stories quickly became popular. Millions of people started following her to hear about dinners her family had with the president at the White House, strange souvenirs her dad brought back from trips, and even ideas like Secret Service agents using fake arms for protection.

Before starting TikTok, Ashley didn’t realize how unique her dad’s job was. She grew up in Northern Virginia, around other families whose parents worked for groups like the CIA and FBI, so it felt normal. But when she went to college and told other students her dad worked for the Secret Service, people were surprised.

The question she gets the most is if her dad had a favorite president. She says, “The presidents treat Secret Service agents very well. I think he’d say President George W. Bush because he worked with him the longest.”

When she started dating her future husband, he thought she had photos of presidents all over her house because she loved history — but it was actually because her dad was in the pictures with them. (Ashley studied health sciences in college.)

Sharing on TikTok has helped Ashley get to know her dad better. He’s usually very private about his work, but now they talk more about what he’s done.

Now, whenever they meet, he asks her what questions people have sent on her TikTok, so he can help answer them. After she makes a video, she sends it to him to check the facts.

Being new to making videos, Ashley has dealt with some mean comments and feels pressure to keep her followers happy. But she says she’s doing it just for fun and doesn’t expect to grow the account forever.

“When it becomes more trouble than it’s worth, I’ll probably stop,” she says. “But right now, I’m really enjoying doing something different and stepping out of my comfort zone.”