Meghan Trainor Shares Ashley Tisdale’s Message Regarding Mom Group Drama
Meghan Trainor and Ashley Tisdale French have put the “toxic” mom group drama behind them, following a stir that captured the internet’s attention earlier this year.
“I felt bad for Ashley,” Trainor, 32, exclusively shared with Us Weekly in this week’s cover story while promoting her upcoming seventh album, Toy With Me (set to release on April 24) and her forthcoming Get In Girl Tour. “I felt bad that she was ever that sad, and I think it was just a lot of miscommunication and confusion. I don’t know what happened, but I truly wish them all the best.”
French, 40, garnered media attention in January with her essay for The Cut, titled “Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group,” where she elaborated on feeling excluded by her mom friends and her decision to leave the group via text message. Although she didn’t name anyone explicitly in the essay, fans quickly speculated that it hinted at Trainor, Hilary Duff, and Mandy Moore, as French was known to socialize with a mom group that included these celebrities.
“I texted all of them,” Trainor recalled to Us. “Ashley reached out to me, saying, ‘I’m sorry your name got dragged in.’ And I responded, ‘It’s all good, girl; the world’s a silly, crazy place, and they just want something to discuss.’”
After French’s essay gained traction, Trainor shared a TikTok video hinting that she was unaware of the underlying drama surrounding the mom group.
“Me discovering the so-called mom group drama,” she captioned a video of herself typing on her computer while enjoying coffee. The video featured her song “Still Don’t Care,” the lead single from Toy With Me.
Trainor explained to Us that she hasn’t seen French or her other mom friends for quite some time, humorously noting that she’s a “bad mom friend” who missed several of their “awesome” events. The pop star mentioned she last encountered the group “a year ago” when she treated them to dinner as an apology for her absence.
“There was a group chat, but eventually, they started a new one without me because I wasn’t attending. And I thought, ‘That’s totally fine,’” she continued. “We were all on good terms, and then [the essay] appeared, and I was like, ‘What?’ … I saw my face everywhere and thought, ‘Wait a minute, I wasn’t even involved.’”
Trainor also received apology messages from other members of the mom group after her name became embroiled in the drama.
“It was a nightmare for many moms in that group,” she stated. “I felt really, really bad. I’m used to [the backlash]. … So I told them, ‘Don’t worry, guys; it’s all on me.’ But some moms prefer to stay out of the limelight and were devastated that they were suddenly recognized.”
Despite the turmoil, Trainor expressed her longing for a circle of mom friends.
“I could really use one right now,” she confessed to Us, noting her hectic schedule balances her career and motherhood with her three children and husband Daryl Sabara — sons Riley, 5, Barry, 2, and daughter Mikey Moon, born via surrogate in January.
“Making mom friends during this phase of life is so challenging,” she remarked.
Trainor wrote her latest single, “Get in Girl,” about longing for a friend who can offer support in difficult times.
“That’s what I envision—a girlfriend pulling up and saying, ‘Let’s go shopping. Forget all this. Let’s escape,’” she shared.
