Meghan Trainor Backs Hilary Duff Amid Controversy with Mom Group
Meghan Trainor has expressed her admiration for Hilary Duff and the amazing individuals in their mom group.
On Thursday, July 16, Trainor, 32, posted a series of photos on Instagram showcasing the camaraderie of their friendship group as they supported Duff, 38, during her performance on the The Lucky Me Tour this month.
In the caption, she wrote, “@hilaryduff thank u for the best concert with the best people💗.”
The pictures and video were taken on the second night of the Los Angeles leg of the tour. Another member of the mom group, What’s Gaby Cooking author Gaby Dalkin, also shared highlights from their night out earlier this month.
“Stage mom-ing so hard!!!” Dalkin captioned a photo of Duff’s enduring mom crew on her Instagram Story on July 9. “We love you @hilaryduff.”
The group photo featured Trainor, Dalkin, Mandy Moore, hairstylist Barb Thompson, artist Amanda (Kaplan) Lillywhite, founder of Muu by Better Babies, Inc. Janice Gott, makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan Fisher, and beauty expert Whitney Wagner Hartley.
This outing follows increased attention on the dynamics between Trainor and Duff after Ashley Tisdale French published a personal essay for The Cut and a Substack post in January.
In her piece, the High School Musical star, 41, criticized a “toxic” mom group she felt compelled to leave due to feelings of exclusion.
Although Tisdale French did not specifically name any moms in her group, many of her fans speculated that it referred to her circle which includes Trainor, Duff, and Moore (Tisdale French’s representative denied this implication at the time).
“I remember feeling left out of several group outings, and Instagram made sure I knew about them through every single photo and story,” Tisdale French wrote. “I felt increasingly excluded while the other members of the group didn’t seem to notice my absence.”
Tisdale French ultimately decided to text the group, stating she would be stepping back because the dynamic felt “too high school for me, and I don’t want to take part in it anymore.”
Duff responded the following month on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
The Lizzie McGuire star mentioned that it wasn’t hard to gather which mom group Tisdale French referred to.
“I felt really sad. I honestly felt really sad. I was pretty taken aback and felt just sad,” Duff remarked about Tisdale French’s comments. “I have so many groups of friends. I’m so lucky.”
She noted, “It’s disheartening to read something inaccurate, and it’s tough for all six women involved.”
On the other hand, Trainor distanced herself from the controversy, clarifying on social media that she was not implicated.
In April, the singer told Us Weekly that there were no lingering issues between her and Tisdale French amid the headline-making drama.
“I felt sorry for Ashley,” Trainor told Us at that time. “I was saddened that she felt that way, and I believe it stemmed from miscommunication and confusion. I wish them all the best.”
Trainor elaborated on her communication with Tisdale French following the incident.
“I reached out to them all,” Trainor recounted to Us. “Ashley texted me saying, ‘I’m sorry your name got involved.’ I replied, ‘It’s alright, girl; the world’s a strange and chaotic place, and people love to gossip.’”
