All Of The Celebs In Ashley Tisdale's 'Toxic Mom Group' (& Their Husbands)

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Who had the third-billed star of the "High School Musical" franchise causing 2026's first big tabloid scandal on their bingo cards? Yes, in early January 2026, Ashley Tisdale, best-known for playing Sharpay Evans in the all-singing, all-dancing phenomenon, put the cat among the pigeons when she wrote an essay for The Cut about her experiences in a 'toxic' gang of friends.

Headlined "You're Allowed to Leave Your Mom Group," the piece saw Tisdale recall how she'd initially felt a sense of belonging when she first aligned herself with the unnamed individuals during the pandemic. However, this gradually changed as she began to feel frozen out from various gatherings. "At first, I tried not to take things personally," she wrote. "It's not like people aren't allowed to get together without me — and maybe there were perfectly good reasons that I hadn't been invited."

But over time, Tisdale believed membership of this exclusive clique wasn't worth the mean girl behavior, and she texted its members, "This is too high school for me and I don't want to take part in it anymore." The singer, married to composer Christopher French, further got tongues wagging when she clarified, "To be clear, I never considered the moms to be bad people. (Maybe one.)" Inevitably, the online world went into overdrive, attempting to uncover the culprits. And pretty soon, one particular Instagram-friendly group emerged as the frontrunners. From fellow Disney Channel graduates to breast pump entrepreneurs, here's a look at the accused (and their other halves).

Hilary Duff gushed about her mom friend posse in a 2024 interview with People, revealing that through various parental duties, she sees different members at least twice a week. "I feel like our big connection to one another, even though we're pop stars or on TV, is we love our kids ... Sometimes we're all showing up with hair and makeup rushing from a job, and sometimes we look like literal trash, so it's just nice to be in the trenches with them."

In fact, most of the group hang photos that have resurfaced since Ashley Tisdale's accusations have stemmed from Duff's account, with many featuring the "High School Musical" star herself. And the former "Lizzie McGuire" star further proved her friend credentials when she gave Mandy Moore and her family a sanctuary during the wildfires that decimated much of Los Angeles.

Of course, Duff's husband only added weight to the theory that her friendship group was the one Tisdale had referred to as toxic, with a cutting Instagram response to the furor. Indeed, in an Instagram story which has since been deleted, Matthew Koma Photoshopped his face onto the accuser's body for a spoof front cover of The Cut. And it was headlined (via NBC News), "When You're The Most Self Obsessed Tone Deaf Person On Earth, Other Moms Tend To Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers." Unsurprisingly, Duff and Tisdale no longer follow each other on the same social media platform.

Mandy Moore has also expressed her pride and her gratitude for being a member of the friendship group rumored to be 'toxic.' "I think moms have to lean on each other," she told People in 2025. "Nobody gets it like another mom. So that's why it's been such a gift to be able to lean on my friends in this particular mom squad. I think we all kind of have this shared goal of caring about new and expecting parents and, in particular, being able to talk about everything, but also the health of our kids. Nothing matters more."

Moore has also singled out two particular members for special praise. In the same interview, she praised cookbook author Gaby Dalkin for being her go-to person for advice, referencing her invaluable tips on everything from fashion choices and vacation spots to Los Angeles cake decorators. And three years earlier, the singer/actor told InStyle how close she'd become to fellow '00s double threat Hilary Duff, describing her as both "the coolest" and a "super-mom."

Moore further expressed her solidarity amid the Ashley Tisdale drama when she thanked Duff's husband, Matthew Koma, for sharing footage of her singing at a benefit gig. "[He] happens to be one [of] the most talented and generous humans I'm lucky to know," she captioned an Instagram Story (via E! News) before reminding her followers that the songwriter offered her family shelter after they were evacuated during the Los Angeles wildfires.

Meghan Trainor is so far the only member of the apparently toxic mom group to address the controversy directly. And she's also used it as a promotional tool, too. Indeed, the singer first reacted in an amusing TikTok set to her latest single, "Still Don't Care," in which she was shown expressing surprise at all the online allegations. "Me finding out about the apparent mom group drama," came the caption.

Just a few days later, the "All About the Bass" hitmaker used a voice clip from "Stranger Things" where a character is attempting to prove to friends that a monster isn't just a figment of their imagination. This time, the caption read, "Me still trying to convince everyone I'm not involved in the mom group drama. I swear I'm innocent."

Trainor had previously mentioned the "Aliens in the Attic" star at the center of the drama while discussing her mom squad in an interview with People. "I do have a great group chat with my other mom friends, like Hilary Duff and Mandy Moore and Ashley Tisdale and those friends — that's a great group chat, but none of them are on tour right now. I'm the one that's always like, 'Can't make it, sorry guys.'" Interestingly, the Grammy Award winner and Tisdale haven't yet unfollowed each other on Instagram. And when asked about Tisdale's essay by TMZ, Trainor's husband, Daryl Sabara, responded, "I don't really know, I hope she's okay, though."

Best known for founding hands-free silicone breast pump company Muu, Janice Gott is another member of the so-called toxic mom squad. In fact, she was responsible for posting the very last known Instagram photo of Ashley Tisdale with the gang in December 2024.

The entrepreneur, who has a son Teddy with husband David Gott, uploaded a group hang picture — reportedly taken at a business event she'd organized — in which all members, including Tisdale, put on smiles for. And in the accompanying caption, she expressed disappointment that she didn't have many similar photos. "The point of this post is to say there is nothing like mom friends," she added (via New York Post) before also paying tribute to her other half for supporting her business pursuits as well as, bizarrely, allowing her to have a pound of caviar for breakfast.

Gott, who was pregnant with Teddy at the time, concluded by stating that she was now ready to have her baby. And her sentiments didn't go unnoticed by her glamorous pals, either. Tisdale — who has a long-running friendship with Austin Butler — remarked, "You are incredible," a response which Gott liked. Interestingly, the pair still follow each other on Instagram, too.

Gaby Dalkin is fast becoming one of the most popular cookbook authors of the 2020s. And as well as hitting the bestseller list with various installments of her "What's Gaby Cooking" series and accruing over one million followers on Instagram (Ashley Tisdale not being one of them), the former personal chef has ingratiated herself within the most talked-about mom group of the moment.

Dalkin, who also owns marketplace and curated kitchen Neighborly and an eponymous pantry essentials firm, appears to be particularly close with fellow member Mandy Moore, having enjoyed a Mexican getaway with the "This Is Us" star and her family in the summer of 2025. "Nothing beats a beach vacation with some of your besties," the latter captioned a series of Instagram photos from the trip, tagging in the foodie, too.

The mom-of-two, who's married to business partner and self-described "professional Instagram husband" Thomas Dalkin, has also alluded to all the online drama that has propelled her name into the gossip pages. But unlike Meghan Trainor, she chose to be a little less direct. "Slowly coming back online after two weeks of family time, all the kid activities, and copious amounts of Christmas crack and cookies," she captioned a Threads post (via Daily Mail). "What did I miss???," she then added alongside a series of laughing emojis.

In October 2025, Whitney Wagner Hartley uploaded a series of mom group photos to Instagram taken during a trip to Ojai. And there was one notable absentee. Yes, Ashley Tisdale — who's been equally honest about her struggles with alopecia — was nowhere to be found on the carousel, accompanied by a caption which, in light of all the drama that's since followed, could now be seen as rather pointed.

"Leveling up but it's really just making sure you're surrounding yourself with people you'd trust to only say good things behind your back," Hartley wrote before thanking the establishment they stayed at, Hotel el Roblar, for "the most necessary 24 hours." And the influencer, who describes herself as both "one part whimsy, two parts outrage" and a "good trouble maker," also took to the same social media platform to share her thoughts, albeit cryptically, once the news of Tisdale's allegations broke.

"I am lowkey so jealous of people who are in denial," Hartley — who's married to photographer and director Travis Schneider — captioned an Instagram Story (via Daily Mail). "Like wdym (what do you mean) you have no idea what the f*** is going on? That sounds incredible." It's unlikely, however, that Tisdale — who once threw shade at the Met Gala in a hilarious way — has seen the message, as neither party counts the other as followers.

The far most cryptic response to Ashley Tisdale's essay, however, came from Samii Ryan. Indeed, in the week that the toxic mom allegations emerged from a mom who's given her baby girl an interesting name, the streetwear clothing designer decided to take to Instagram to repost a video of a man lip-syncing to a rap hit.

The song in question was "Her" by Megan Thee Stallion, and specifically the verse including the lyrics, "I don't care if these b***hes don't like me, 'cause, like, I'm pretty as f***/Just the other day, I heard a ho say/Matter of fact, what could a ho say?/With a face like this and a b***h this paid, s***, what could a ho say?"

The fashion guru, who has two sons, Leo and Noah, with husband Ev Ryan, also described these eloquent rhymes in an Instagram Story (via Page Six) as "2026 mood." Unsurprisingly, Samii, who claims to make "happy clothes for positive people and the best sweat sets you'll ever try," no longer follows the "Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure" star — who in 2022 found herself in legal trouble — and vice versa.

So who else is in the mom group that has become the tabloid story of 2026 so far? Well, there are at least three other members judging by the various hangout photos uploaded to Instagram over the years, including the celebrity makeup artist who's worked with Mandy Moore and Hilary Duff.

Yes, Kelsey Deenihan Fisher, who's also lent her talents to everyone from Emma Roberts and Kelsea Ballerini to Reese Witherspoon and Lucy Hale, is reportedly a proud member of the toxic gang. And the makeup maestro, who has a daughter, Poppy, with Roc Nation merchandise director husband Taylor Fisher, is still followed on the photo-sharing platform by Ashley Tisdale.

The "Amateur Night" star — who once had to fight for her most iconic role — is also still following two other members; Amanda Kaplan, a ceramics artist and painter, and Haylee Davidowitz, who since 2013 has been wed to the founder of One Grey Day winter clothing range, Bradley Davidowitz, suggesting the lesser-known individuals in the group are not the focus of Tisdale's ire. Of course, despite an increasing amount of evidence, a spokesperson for the latter claimed to TMZ that none of the theories surrounding the identities of the toxic mom gang are based in truth. The plot thickens!