- Former Disney star Ashley Tisdale French recently explained why she stepped away from a “toxic mom group.”
- In an essay for The Cut, the actress said the group began leaving her out of get-togethers after they grew close.
- Some online sleuths have speculated she’s referring to Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff, and Meghan Trainor.
As a teen idol, Ashley Tisdale enjoyed the Suite Life before bouncing her way to stardom in the High School Musical franchise. Now, the 40-year-old actress and singer is reckoning with how the dramas of adulthood can sometimes feel like something out of a Disney Channel show.
Tisdale, who now goes by Ashley Tisdale French, kicked off 2026 with a candid essay in The Cut about her rocky experiences with a group of fellow moms. It’s headlined “Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group,” which is certainly eye-catching.
At first, Tisdale French felt like she’d “found my village” with a group of women who understood what she was going through. But things soured after she realized she’d been left out of a few hangouts, only to find out about them later on social media. Eventually, she decided to step away from the group entirely.
For some, the essay was relatable. For others, it aroused suspicion that Tisdale French herself might be the problem.
Here’s what Tisdale French had to say about leaving, what fans are speculating, and how her rep has responded to the situation.
What did Ashley Tisdale say about her mom group?
Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort via Getty
After welcoming her eldest daughter, Jupiter, Tisdale French was “craving connection” with other moms who were in the same boat. That’s when she joined a group of fellow mothers who could help her find her footing.
“Most of us had been pregnant through the early pandemic, so we missed out on the activities where you meet other expectant mothers,” she wrote. “We hadn’t had baby showers or prenatal yoga, and hardly anyone had held our newborns. But finally, we were able to be together, and our kids were able to be together, and it all felt right.”
Tisdale French initially “felt a sense of belonging,” but things quickly shifted. She started noticing that she was being excluded from get-togethers, leading her to feel “frozen out of the group.”
“At first, I tried not to take things personally,” the actress explained. “It’s not like people aren’t allowed to get together without me — and maybe there were perfectly good reasons that I hadn’t been invited.”
But, as Tisdale French explained, the distance only grew. Invitations became fewer and farther between. This left the Frenshe founder feeling like she wasn’t “cool enough,” as if she’d been thrown back into high school all over again.
She let the group know about her feelings in a text message. “This is too high school for me and I don’t want to take part in it anymore,” she said.
Some of the ladies tried to make amends. Another claimed that everyone had just assumed she’d been invited and just didn’t show up.
“To be clear, I never considered the moms to be bad people. (Maybe one.),” she wrote. “But I do think our group dynamic stopped being healthy and positive — for me anyway.”
What are fans speculating about her comments?
Hilary Duff/Instagram
After Tisdale French’s essay lit up social media, fans and online sleuths began speculating about which friends she might be talking about. Names like Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff, and Meghan Trainor surfaced, since Tisdale French has been spotted with them before.
Back in 2021, Duff shared an Instagram Story (via Today) showing her then-infant daughter hanging out with the children of Moore, Trainor, and Tisdale French.
The next year, Duff shared a carousel of photos from a hang with Tisdale French, Trainor, and others. The post even shouted out Moore, who was absent. “Just a couple of moms on a good night sleep … love you girls thanks for the unwind/recharge we missed you @mandymooremm,” she captioned the post.
Later that year, Tisdale French offered fans a peek into a luxurious getaway with the same group. The post is now deleted, but according to Scary Mommy, she captioned it, “Moms weekend away! I love being surrounded by these ladies. What an amazing group of women to journey through this mom-hood together! So grateful for this trip.”
Tisdale French and her high-profile pals have previously been open about having each other’s backs. In December 2024, Duff told PEOPLE she could count on Moore, Trainor, and Tisdale French “all the time,” especially when her family had the flu at Thanksgiving. “It was actually one of the hardest moments of my life,” she said, “and I was on the chat thread just ranting and raving, and they’re all just really supportive.”
Reddit users have also been chiming in with their own theories, especially after some eagle-eyed fans noticed that Tisdale French still follows Trainor, but not Moore or Duff.
“It honestly sounds like the other women just didn’t like her that much,” said one user. Another replied, “I was hoping Hilary Duff wasn’t an unnecessarily mean girl, this sounds fair IMO.”
What has Ashley Tisdale’s rep said in response?
Amid the online frenzy, a rep for Tisdale French told TMZ that that there’s “zero truth” to the online theories and confirmed that the piece wasn’t about Moore, Duff, or Trainor.
Since there’s been speculation that Tisdale French was iced out of the group for being a Republican, the rep also clarified that the actress is a registered Democrat.
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