If the point was to prove that Ashley Tisdale was wrong when she compared her former mom group to a high school clique, her critics may have missed the mark.
The High School Musical alum first wrote about distancing herself from a coterie of fellow mothers in December, explaining in an entry on her site By Ashley French that she didn't think the group had turned toxic "because the moms themselves are toxic people, but because the dynamic shifts into an ugly place with mean-girl behavior."
The post, titled "You're Allowed to Leave Your Mom Group," didn't call out any alleged Regina George types by name. Nor did her follow-up on the subject that was published on The Cut Jan. 1, "Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group."
But because Tisdale—who shares daughters Jupiter, 4, and Emerson, 16 months, with husband David French—had been seen in photos hanging out with fellow famous moms Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff and Meghan Trainor, online sleuths were quick to conclude that they played a role in her i.
Or at least it was assumed they were members of this "village of moms" who'd gone from "lifeline to landmine," as Tisdale described the situation, that made her feel shunned.
For the record, Tisdale's rep denied that her posts had anything to do with Moore, Duff or Trainor, telling TMZ Jan. 5 it was unfortunate that people were reading into it that way. Moreover, the rep noted noted that any political subtext readers were claiming to glean from the actress' words was also completely off-base.
But just when it seemed as if this was going to be a comments-section-only pile-up, Duff's husband, Matthew Koma, entered the fray.
Koma—who shares daughters Banks, 7, Mae, 4, and Townes, 8 months, with Duff, and is stepdad to her 13-year-old son Luca with ex Mike Comrie—created a fake magazine cover he posted to Instagram Stories Jan. 6, writing, “Read my new interview with @thecut.”
The ersatz cover's title story: “When You’re The Most Self Obsessed Tone Deaf Person On Earth, Other Moms Tend To Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers: A Mom Group Tell All Through A Father’s Eyes.”
E! News has reached out to everyone involved for comment and has not heard back.
The following day, Moore—who shares Gus Harrison, 4, Ozzie Bennett, 3, and Louise Everett, 16 months, with husband Taylor Goldsmith—had something much more poignant on her mind than mom group gossip.
After Koma applauded her performance at a concert benefiting victims of the 2025 Eaton Fire, she wrote on Instagram Stories Jan. 7, "This feels incredibly fitting as @matthewkoma happens to be one [of] the most talented and generous humans I’m lucky to know. He literally gave my family a place to stay one year ago today when we evacuated."
Still, Koma's post kept the conversation going, prompting Trainor to give her two cents in a Jan. 8 TikTok.
The video showed the mom of Riley, 4, and Barry, 2, with husband Daryl Sabara sitting at a computer as she mimicked typing and feigned surprised, her single "Still Don't Care" playing in the background. The caption, alongside a healthy helping of tea emojis, read, “Me finding out about the apparent mom group drama.”
Sabara backed her forthwith, telling TMZ Jan. 8, "No drama over here...Just trying to keep the kids happy."
And asked how he felt about Tisdale's essay, he offered, "I don’t really know. I hope she’s okay, though.”
Meanwhile, plenty of commenters have rallied around Tisdale, many of them happy to assume she was snubbed by the celebrities in question. (Incidentally, mom of two Haylie Duff liked an Instagram post promoting Tisdale's essay about leaving the group.)
But her supporters also include people who could relate to the dynamic she described, from both sides, having been part of groups that once provided community, support and uplift but later devolved into just another social obligation with its own set of rules and a hierarchy that somehow forms when other members aren't looking.
"I could sense a growing distance between me and the other members of the group, who seemed to not even care that I wasn't around much," Tisdale wrote for The Cut. "When everyone else attended a birthday dinner together, I was met with excuses as to why I hadn't been invited."
She eventually realized she had become the odd woman out.
Natural flow of a friend group or something more malicious? It's unclear, and Tisdale noted that she doesn't know why she ended up on the outs and "probably never will."
But what this entire conflict proves is that taking sides is easy, getting out of a relationship-gone-wrong can be hard and everyone can benefit from a timeout now and again.
And while Tisdale is off looking for a new group, see more surprising celebrity friendships and what brought the stars together:
Mindy Kaling & Reese Witherspoon
They have been friends for years and have worked together. The two starred together in A Wrinkle in Time, while Mindy also had a recurring role on The Morning Show. In addition, the latter is co-writing Legally Blonde 3.
Ayesha Curry & Lindsay Lohan
The Food Network star and Mean Girls alum first became friends during a trip to Dubai years ago and have since grown closer. In fact, Ayesha and Stephen Curry were even named the godparents of Lindsay and husband Bader Shammas' son Laui.
Adam Sandler & Timothée Chalamet
The two actors, who costarred in the 2014 film Men, Women & Children, reunited for an outdoor game of basketball in New York City in July 2023.
Russell Crowe & RZA
The actor has worked with the Wu-Tang Clan rapper on several movies, including The Man with the Iron Fists, American Gangster and The Next Three Days. But their bond goes much deeper than that. "As friends, we talk," Crowe tells Fuse. "It is no effort for me to give a friend advice. Film has many gods and you have to understand, as a director, you will be required to please and appease them all."
Michelle Dockery & Pippa Middleton
Before running into each other again at Wimbledon, the unlikely duo first crossed paths at the Downton Abbey set. "She actually came on-set with her brother, James, a few years ago," Dockery told E! News."They are good fans of the show."
David Beckham & Snoop Dogg
When the "footballer" moved to L.A. and became a "soccer player," he befriended the rapper. Becks appeared on Snoop's reality show, the two played soccer and Snoop plays his new music for David first.
Dakota Fanning & Kristen Stewart
The two former child actors have worked on two films, Twilight and The Runaways, but Dakota says their friendship isn't based on work, "When we're together, we're not talking about movie stuff."
Paris Hilton & Britney Spears
The two hung out together in the aughts and maintained their friendship over the years.
Nicki Minaj & Anna Wintour
The two have two very different approaches to fashion (has Anna ever been bedazzled?), but they bonded in the front row of an Oscar de la Renta show and Anna scored a name-drop in one of Nicki's raps.
50 Cent & Bette Midler
Now this is one strange duet! Fiddy met Bette working for the charity New York Restoration Project, where she gushed, "He's one of the newest members of our tribe. He's really made my life worth living."
Taylor Swift & Lena Dunham
Taylor is a self-proclaimed good girl. Lena isn't afraid to stir the pot. But they have a lot of mutual respect for each other and the Girls creator described T.Swift's show as the "most life-affirming thing I've experienced."
Jennifer Lopez & Leah Remini
The former King of Queens actress has been supertight with Jenny From the Block for a while now, bonding over fashion and tweeting cutesy things at each other with the hashtag "#luckybesties."
Gwyneth Paltrow & Jay-Z
The Goop goddess herself is actually friends with both Jay and his wife Beyoncé, though you might be more surprised to learn that Gwyn is an intense rap enthusiast and her kids even call Mr. Carter "Uncle Jay."
Brad Pitt & Jonah Hill
You might not expect the hunky thespian to be close with the dude from Superbad, but look at it this way: Brad is a total prankster (says Jonah) and Jonah is now a serious Oscar nominee (for their film Moneyball).
Eminem & Elton John
The controversial rapper joined forces with Sir Elton at the 2001 Grammys and later Em turned to his new friend for support getting sober: "I told him, 'Look, I'm going through a problem and I need your advice.'"