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Ashley Tisdale says ‘mean girl energy’ drove her to quit celeb mum group with big names like Hilary Duff

Ashley Tisdale says ‘mean girl energy’ drove her to quit celeb mum group with big names like Hilary Duff

Ashley Tisdale has revealed she walked away from a celeb mum group—linked to stars like Hilary Duff and Mandy Moore—after being repeatedly left out of hangouts and chats. Calling it “too high school,” she says the ‘mean girl energy’ made her feel excluded and drained.

Hollywood star Ashley Tisdale

Getty/Instagram Hilary Duff

Ruairidh Pritchard

Published: January 5, 2026 at 11:16 PM

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Ashley Tisdale has spoken candidly about stepping away from a celebrity mum group she once believed would be her “village”, after the dynamic left her feeling excluded and emotionally drained.

In a deeply personal essay for The Cut, the actor and mum of two described the experience as “too high school”, explaining how subtle exclusions and cliques brought back insecurities she thought she had left behind years ago.

The group, widely believed to include fellow celebrity mums such as Hilary Duff, Meghan Trainor and Mandy Moore, has been publicly celebrated in the past as a close-knit support system. But Ashley’s account paints a very different picture behind the scenes.

Tisdale, pictured here in 2022, with some other celebrity mums, including Hilary Duff Hilary Duff/Instagram

‘I thought I found my village’

Ashley, 40, explained that after the birth of her first daughter, Jupiter, now four, she was craving connection with other new mums.

“I needed someone to talk to about which diaper bag to buy, whether a Snoo is worth it, and how you can possibly get anything done if you’re supposed to ‘sleep while the baby is sleeping,’” she wrote in The Cut.

What began as practical support quickly became more personal. Like many mums, Ashley wanted friends who understood the emotional side of motherhood, from “the mood swings” to “saying good-bye to who I used to be”.

She said she initially felt “lucky” to be brought into a group of women who were juggling motherhood alongside careers, adding, “By the time we started getting together for playdates and got the group chat going, I was certain that I’d found my village.”

When inclusion turned into isolation

Over time, Ashley began to notice a shift. She described seeing social media posts from group hangouts she had not been invited to, and moments where she physically felt on the fringes.

I remember being left out of a couple of group hangs, and I knew about them because Instagram made sure it fed me every single photo and Instagram Story

Ashley Tisdale, writing in The Cut

One evening, after putting her daughter to bed, the feelings came to a head.

“Here I was sitting alone one night after getting my daughter to bed, thinking, Maybe I’m not cool enough? All of a sudden, I was in high school again, feeling totally lost as to what I was doing ‘wrong’ to be left out.”

Ashley described the experience as emotionally exhausting, particularly because motherhood can already be such a vulnerable time.

Why she decided to speak up

Rather than quietly drifting away, Ashley chose to confront the situation directly, motivated by the example she wants to set for her daughters.

Aren’t we supposed to be teaching our kids to speak up for themselves when their feelings are hurt?

Ashley Tisdale, writing for The Cut

After being excluded from yet another gathering, she texted the group: “This is too high school for me and I don’t want to take part in it anymore.”

She admitted the message “didn’t exactly go over well”. Some members attempted to smooth things over, but the dynamic did not improve.

“To be clear, I have never considered the moms to be bad people. (Maybe one.),” she added. “But I do think our group dynamic stopped being healthy and positive, for me, anyway.”

The group, pictured here, is believed to include Mandy Moore (centre) Hilary Duff/Instagram

‘Mean girl behaviour’ and cliques

Ashley has previously touched on the fallout in a blog post, saying the experience “brought [her] to tears” and accusing the group of “mean girl behavior” and isolation.

“I realized that there were group text chains that didn’t include everyone, which led to cliques forming within the larger group,” she wrote. “And after the third or fourth time of seeing social media photos of everyone else at a hangout that I didn’t get invited to, it felt like I wasn’t really part of the group after all.”

She ultimately decided to cut ties, prioritising her emotional wellbeing and family life with husband Christopher French, with whom she also shares daughter Emerson, one.

A very different public narrative

Ashley’s experience contrasts with how the group has been described publicly by other members.

Hilary Duff previously told People in December 2024 that the group was about being “in the trenches with” one another, adding, “I feel like our big connection to one another, even though we’re pop stars or on TV, is we love our kids.”

Mandy Moore also spoke warmly about the group in 2022, telling InStyle, “Somehow, I got invited into it and it’s the best. I’ve made so many wonderful friends.”

Ashley did not name individuals in her essay, but fans have noticed that she no longer follows Duff or Moore on Instagram, while she still follows Meghan Trainor.

Why her story has struck a nerve with mums

Since sharing her story, Ashley says she has received an outpouring of messages from women who felt seen.

“I now know I’m far from the only mother who’s been brought to tears by members of a group that’s supposed to lift everyone up,” she wrote.

Her takeaway is simple but powerful: “You deserve to go through motherhood with people who actually, you know, like you. And if you have to wonder if they do, it’s not the right group for you. Even if it looks like they’re having the best time on Instagram.”

For many mums navigating friendships alongside nappies, night feeds and identity shifts, it is a reminder that walking away can sometimes be the healthiest choice of all.

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Authors

Ruairidh PritchardDigital Growth Lead

Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.