How Ashley Tisdale’s Mom Group is Progressing Following Viral Essay (Exclusive)
Ashley Tisdale French’s old mom group is ready to move forward after her viral essay highlighting their alleged “toxic” dynamic drew significant attention.
“The remaining moms in the group hold no grudges against Ashley,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.
The group—believed to include celebrities like Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff, and Meghan Trainor—was reportedly “surprised” by the essay, thinking the friendship had faded naturally, according to the insider.
“There was no significant confrontation, so this came as a shock to them,” the source adds.
As the new year began, French, 40, stirred up conversation with her essay titled “Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group,” published in New York Magazine’s The Cut on January 1.
In the article, the former Disney star mentioned feeling “frozen out” after noticing she was “excluded from several group hangouts” showcased through social media recaps.
“I reassured myself it was just in my mind, that it wasn’t a big deal,” French wrote, omitting names from the mom group. “Yet, I sensed a growing rift between me and the others, who seemed indifferent to my absence.”
The Frenshe founder shared that after being overlooked for yet another group event, she texted them that “this is too high school for me” and chose to withdraw from the group. (Ashley has daughters Jupiter, 4, and Emerson, 16 months, with husband Christopher French.)
Following the publication, fans speculated about the identities of those Ashley referenced. Many pointed towards Moore, 41, Duff, 38, and Trainor, 32, who became part of a mom group in 2021 after having babies around the same period.
Ashley’s representative told TMZ that the three celebrities in question were not who the actress was referring to in her essay. Nonetheless, chatter continued as observant fans noticed Ashley no longer follows Duff or Moore on Instagram.
“The root of the issues was that some of the women grew closer, making Ashley feel excluded,” an insider revealed exclusively to Us on January 8. “There were occasions when casual get-togethers were planned last minute, and Ashley wasn’t invited. There wasn’t any malice; friendships simply evolved, and some bonds strengthened more than others.”
The insider elaborated, “Hilary and Mandy are incredibly close, along with Kelsey Deenihan (their makeup artist), who is part of the group, and others, and that dynamic naturally influenced the group.”
This bond reportedly “made Ashley feel as though she didn’t fully fit with the rest of the circle,” according to the source.
As Ashley’s comments made headlines, Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma, chimed in on the situation. (Duff and Koma, 38, share daughters Banks, 7, Mae, 4, and Townes, 20 months. Duff also has a son, Luca, 11, with ex-husband Mike Comrie.)
Koma humorously addressed Ashley’s narrative by sharing an image of himself on a mock magazine cover with the headline: “A mom group tell-all through a father’s eyes: When You’re the Most Self-Obsessed Tone Deaf Person on Earth, Other Moms Tend to Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers.”
Trainor, who has sons Riley, 4, and Barry, 2, with husband Daryl Sabara, also weighed in, denying any involvement in the situation.
“Me still trying to convince everyone I’m not involved in the mom group drama,” she captioned a TikTok clip from Stranger Things, wherein one character attempts to persuade others that their friend is evil.
She further captioned the post, “I swear I’m innocent,” along with a praying hands emoji.
While Moore hasn’t directly responded to Ashley’s essay, she did discuss evolving friendships on January 14.
“I have friends with older kids, and I’ve found that those I’m closest to now are those who are in similar stages of parenthood,” Moore shared on the “Conversations With Cam” podcast.
The This Is Us star, who shares sons Gus, 4, Ozzie, 3, and daughter Louise, 15 months, with husband Taylor Goldsmith, mentioned that shifting friendships due to various reasons took her by surprise.
Moore also described her mom group, confirming it was established by Duff.
“We evolved from music classes to movement classes to just hanging out. People celebrate holidays and birthdays together, we go to the zoo… all the things friends do together,” the A Walk to Remember actress explained.
Moore noted that their “mom chat is always buzzing with questions, comments, concerns, and fun gossip… all the essentials.” She added that the women in the group “mean everything” to her during this chapter of her life.
