Hilary Duff breaks silence on Ashley Tisdale’s ‘toxic mom group’ claims

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Hilary Duff has addressed an essay written by Ashley Tisdale about difficult mom groups, which many people believed was referencing her own experiences.

Last month, Ashley Tisdale, 40, discussed leaving a difficult mothers’ group in an interview with The Cut, which led people to wonder if Hilary Duff, 38, was connected. Shortly after, Hilary’s husband, Matthew Koma, 38, publicly criticized Tisdale, calling her self-absorbed and insensitive – appearing to confirm the speculation.

During a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times on Friday, Duff was asked if the attention around a viral story had made her reconsider her return to pop music, especially while promoting her new album.

Honestly, dealing with public attention isn’t new to me. It really started when I was around fifteen and the paparazzi began following me everywhere. From then on, it felt like my entire life – everything I did and everyone I knew – was constantly being documented for the world to see.

The stories the news focuses on aren’t about everyday people who simply started acting later in life. Instead, it’s often fueled by online personalities who create sensational content to get more views.

She explained it’s confusing because you find yourself agreeing with some people while realizing others are completely off base.

Duff explained she overheard someone saying the other mothers and teachers at school didn’t seem to care for her daughter. Duff immediately disagreed, saying she thought all the women at the school were wonderful and she adored them.

The singer was also asked if she ignores social media rumors.

Every day is different, but ultimately, finding joy in simple family moments is what matters most to me. Things like playing soccer with my kids, relaxing in the hot tub, and collecting fresh eggs – that’s what life is all about. When things get stressful, I prioritize going home and finding peace and quiet.

Last month, her husband jokingly made fun of Tisdale’s essay by creating a fake headline that said, ‘When someone is extremely self-centered and out of touch, other mothers usually concentrate on their own young children.’

Koma digitally altered a photo to put his own face onto Tisdale’s body, mimicking the famous image of her sitting on a white couch in a black outfit. The altered photo included a small headline: ‘A Mom Group Tell All Through A Father’s Eye.’

I was really struck by Ashley Tisdale’s essay, ‘Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group.’ She so honestly shared how isolated she felt after having her baby, like her friends just didn’t connect with her anymore during that postpartum time. It really resonated with me and how important it is to have a supportive community.

After having her daughter Jupiter in 2021, the actress, known from High School Musical, publicly praised the support she received from a group of fellow mothers – including Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, and Meghan Trainor – who helped her through early motherhood.

After Ashley Tisdale stopped following Duff and Moore on Instagram, many fans immediately guessed that the two actresses were part of a mysterious group being discussed.

As a mom myself, I totally get the need for a support system! That’s why I joined a wonderful mom group created by my dear friend, Hilary Duff. Over the last four years, we’ve become like family, sharing everything from fun vacations and baby classes to regular playdates. It’s been amazing having these women to lean on – especially with my little one, Emerson, who’s now 16 months old, and my husband, Christopher French, by my side.

Recently, Tori Spelling wrote about ending her relationship with her mothers’ group, sharing that she started to feel left out during the sensitive time after giving birth.

She initially shared thoughts on her blog, ByAshleyFrench, in November 2025, and later wrote a piece for The Cut, but chose not to identify the women she discussed in either piece.

She noticed she was being left out of events, and she’d often find out about them later through Instagram posts.

She wrote that it brought back a bad feeling she thought she’d overcome a long time ago.

I was home alone one night, after my daughter was asleep, and I started questioning myself – wondering if I was doing something wrong or if I just wasn’t ‘cool’ enough. It instantly brought back those old high school feelings of being lost and left out.

After being left out again, she finally sent a text to the group saying she didn’t want to be involved anymore because it felt too immature.

Just to clarify, I don’t think any of the moms are bad people—maybe one of them,” Tisdale explained. “However, I do believe the way our group interacted became unhealthy and negative—at least for me.

Although the actress didn’t say who she was talking about, many fans pointed out that she stopped following Moore and Duff on Instagram right before the article came out.

Tisdale had once been a core member of the A-list circle.

She shared a post from a 2022 girls’ weekend with Duff and Trainor, saying she had a wonderful time and loved being with her friends. The post has since been deleted.

She excitedly shared at the time how wonderful it was to go through motherhood with such a great group of women.

Just in January 2025, she publicly expressed gratitude to her mom group for their support during the Los Angeles wildfires, saying, ‘It’s wonderful to see people connecting with each other, and I’m so thankful for this mom group being there for me through everything.’

Meanwhile, Moore and Duff appear to remain close.

These close friends have always been very supportive of each other, and they even shared a home last year when Moore’s house was destroyed in the wildfires.

The family was recently spotted enjoying a Christmas lights display with their kids, and they shared photos from the fun outing.

Hillary Duff has four children: a 13-year-old son, Luca, from her previous marriage, and three daughters – Banks, 7, Mae, 4, and Townes, 1 – with her current husband.

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2026-02-21 07:04