Ashley Tisdale’s Mom Group Tensions Arise from Differences in Values, Say Sources
Ashley Tisdale in 2023.
Credit:
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A source close to Ashley Tisdale’s former mom group revealed her departure stemmed from a “misalignment of values.”
- Tisdale expressed feelings of being deliberately excluded by her former friends in a viral essay.
- A second source remarked, “This is blowing up in the craziest way.”
Sources connected to Ashley Tisdale and her former mom group have provided insights into their recent fallout, which has garnered significant attention online.
According to a source, “It was a misalignment of values that Ashley decided to make public. Friends naturally drift apart. It didn’t warrant a dramatic breakup text.”
In a personal essay published in The Cut on January 1, Tisdale discussed leaving a “toxic” group of mom friends. The actress, who has two daughters, Jupiter, 4, and Emerson, 15 months, originally shared the essay on her blog in November titled, “You’re allowed to leave the mom group.”
Ashley Tisdale (R) and family pose with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse while dining at Storytellers Cafe.
Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort via Getty
Although Tisdale refrained from naming her former friends in the essay, fans quickly identified a group that previously included Hilary Duff, food influencer Gaby Dalkin, Meghan Trainor, and Mandy Moore.
Representatives for Tisdale, Duff, Koma, Moore, Trainor, and Dalkin have yet to respond to requests for comment.
Tisdale wrote, “Mom groups can turn toxic. Not because the moms themselves are toxic people, but because the dynamic shifts into an ugly place with mean-girl behavior… I started to notice that certain people would get talked about when they weren’t present, and not in a positive way.”
A second source noted that Tisdale felt a growing “disconnect” from the group in the months leading up to her departure.
Ashley Tisdale and her two kids.
Christopher French/Instagram
The second source also emphasized that Tisdale aims to highlight that toxic behavior is unacceptable.
On January 6, Hilary Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma, criticized Tisdale’s essay on Instagram, humorously altering a photo of Tisdale and attaching a fictional headline that read, “When You’re The Most Self Obsessed Tone Deaf Person On Earth, Other Moms Tend To Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers.” He also included a sub-headline that stated, “A Mom Group Tell All Through A Father’s Eyes.”
Currently, Tisdale still follows Trainor on Instagram but has unfollowed Dalkin, Duff, and Moore, although Moore continues to follow Tisdale.
“If a mom group consistently leaves you feeling hurt, drained or left out, it’s not the mom group for you,” Tisdale concluded in her essay. “Choosing to step away doesn’t make you mean or judgmental. It makes you honest with yourself. It’s also worth remembering that friendships, like all relationships, have seasons.”
