Ashley Tisdale's former mom group is moving forward after her essay about stepping away from the circle drew public attention.

"The moms remaining in the group wish Ashley no ill will," a source told Us Weekly.

While fans speculated about the identities of the women involved – often pointing to Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff, and Meghan Trainor – the source added that the group was caught off guard by the essay.

"There was no big blowout moment so this came as a surprise to them," the insider said. "They thought the friendship faded organically."

Essay Sparks Public Speculation

Tisdale, 40, caused a stir with her January 1 essay, "Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group," published in The Cut.

She recalled feeling "frozen out of the group" after noticing she had been left out of a few gatherings, often seen through social media posts.

"I told myself it was all in my head, and it wasn't a big deal," Tisdale wrote, without naming any individuals.

"And yet, 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."

The actress, who shares daughters Jupiter, 4, and Emerson, 16 months, with husband Christopher French, said she eventually told the group, "this is too high school for me," before stepping away entirely.

Changing Dynamics Within the Group

Sources told Us Weekly that the tension arose naturally as some members grew closer to each other.

"The root of the issues was that some of the women just became closer friends with each other, and Ashley started to feel left out," the insider explained.

Hangouts and casual dinners were sometimes organized at the last minute, which may have unintentionally excluded Tisdale.

The source added that Duff, Moore, and Kelsey Deenihan, a makeup artist who was also part of the circle, formed tight bonds that shaped the group's dynamics.

"That dynamic naturally made Ashley feel like she didn't quite fit in with the rest of the circle," the insider said.

Adjacent friends reacted as well. Duff's husband, Matthew Koma, shared a satirical Instagram post joking about the situation, while Meghan Trainor posted a TikTok clip asserting, "I swear I'm innocent," denying any involvement in the drama.

Perspective From Mandy Moore

Moore, 41, spoke more broadly about evolving friendships during a January 14 appearance on the Conversations With Cam podcast.

She noted that as a parent, the friends she's closest to are often in similar stages of life.

"We evolved from music class to movement class to just all hanging out," Moore said. She described the group's activities, from holiday gatherings to zoo visits, and added, "The mom chat is always popping off with questions, comments, concerns, fun gossip ... all the things." Moore emphasized that the group "mean everything" to her at this stage of her life.

According to another source, what Tisdale experienced as hurtful distance was not intentional. The remaining moms reportedly did not view the situation as toxic and maintain there was "no bad intent" behind the shifting dynamics.

Tags
Ashley Tisdale, Controversy