Ashley Tisdale’s recent personal essay about stepping away from a mom group has sparked widespread conversation, and plenty of speculation. While fans debated the dynamics she described, a source now says the remaining members of the group were caught off guard by the attention and never believed there was lingering tension. According to insiders, what Tisdale experienced as hurtful distance may not have been intentional on the other side.
Ashley Tisdale’s former mom group ‘thought the friendship faded organically,’ per source
After Tisdale’s viral essay, “Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group,” was published on January 1, attention quickly turned to the identity of the women she referenced. While she didn’t name names, fans speculated that several high-profile Los Angeles moms — including Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff, and Meghan Trainor — were involved. A source, however, told Us Weekly that the group was “surprised” by the characterization and didn’t view the situation the same way.
According to the insider, the remaining moms believed the friendship simply “faded organically.” The source said, “There was no big blowout moment,” adding that they didn’t realize Tisdale felt hurt until her essay went public. The group, per the source, wishes her “no ill will” and maintains “there wasn’t any bad intent” behind the changing dynamic.
In her essay, Tisdale described feeling excluded after allegedly noticing she wasn’t invited to certain gatherings, which she reportedly discovered through social media. She wrote that the growing distance made her feel unwelcome, ultimately leading her to step away from the group entirely. The actress, who shares two young daughters with husband Christopher French, said she eventually messaged the group expressing her frustration before removing herself.
Another source suggests the tension stemmed from shifting closeness within the circle. Some women reportedly became tighter-knit due to overlapping schedules, shared interests, and similar parenting stages. These bonds, the insider claims, may have unintentionally left Tisdale feeling like she no longer fit in, even though there was no deliberate effort to exclude her.
The situation even prompted reactions from adjacent circles. Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma, mocked the controversy on Instagram with a satirical post, while Trainor later denied any involvement, joking on TikTok that she was “innocent.”
Originally reported by Zahrah Patel on RealityTea.
