Former High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale is celebrating her 41st birthday with some exciting news. The actress’s “toxic mom group” essay published in The Cut almost instantly went viral. Not only did it resonate with parents, but speculation about the identities of the other mothers grew to a frenzy.
After fans assumed (based on pics posted on social media) that fellow celebs Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff, and Meghan Trainor were the subjects of her expose, Tisdale’s rep toldTMZ that her words were meant to spotlight an experience, not a specific group of famous faces.
A month before publishing The Cut article, Tisdale wrote ‘You’re Allowed To Leave Your Mom Group,’ a post on her By Ashley French website. Like the other essay, this one also deals with her own experiences dealing with her peers: “But here’s the thing nobody prepared me for: 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.”
In February, Hilary Duff opened up toAlex Cooperon the ‘Call Her Daddy‘ podcast, sharing her thoughts on Tisdale’s essay: “I felt really sad. I honestly felt really sad.” She continued, “I was pretty, pretty taken aback.” Duff added, “I think I was just like, whoa, it sucks to read something that’s like not true. And it sucks on behalf of six women and all of their lives.”
Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma, fueled the fire, posting a photoshopped pic on his Instagram Stories of his head on Tisdale’s body with The Cut’s logo and the faux headline, “When You’re The Most Self Obsessed Tone Deaf Person On Earth, Other Moms Tend To Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers” and the subhead, “A Mom Group Tell All Through A Father’s Eyes.”
Now the mom of two (she shares daughters Jupiter and Emerson with husband Christopher French) is working on a new project for Netflix based on her essays, aptly titled Toxic Moms. According to Deadline, Tisdale is collaborating with Sabrina Jalees andAli Wongon the half-hour comedy series.
While the show will reportedly follow a sleep-deprived new mom who becomes part of a competitive clique of ‘cool’ mothers, it also digs into darker themes, such as isolation.
Tisdale recently posted a photo of Deadline’s story on Instagram with the caption, “I guess we can all be a little toxic.” Fans and friends flocked to her post, applauding the actress and her big news, “Wow! That’s amazing, Ashley. Your mum was right when she said life gives you lemons, you just work it out.” Other commenters praised the birthday girl, writing, “Iconic mother”, “Don’t mess with Sharpay Evans, y’all bunch of Gabriellas,” and “It’s your birthday, but we got the gift.”
This story was originally published by Parade on Jul 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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