Ashley Tisdale French’s personal essay about leaving what she called a “toxic” mom friend group has turned into a bigger public fight than she seemed to expect. She wrote about feeling excluded, drained, and pulled back into “high school” style dynamics, but she did not name anyone. Still, online speculation quickly tried to match the story to real people, and the backlash grew from there.
Now, her husband, Christopher French, has stepped into the conversation in his own way, as reactions keep coming from other celebrity circles linked to the story.
How the “toxic mom group” story started
In her essay, Tisdale French described joining a group of moms that initially felt supportive, then slowly changed. She said she was invited less, saw cliques forming, and felt repeatedly left out after noticing gatherings online.
She also stressed she was not trying to label everyone as a bad person, but that the dynamic stopped being healthy for her.
Why the backlash escalated
The essay went viral after being published by The Cut on January 1, 2026, and internet “sleuthing” quickly turned it into a guessing game about which famous moms were involved. Major coverage notes she did not name names, and that speculation took on a life of its own.
That shift matters because it changed the public conversation from “mom friendships can be painful” to “which celebrity is this about,” which is where the backlash and pile-on energy usually comes from.
What Christopher French did in response
Christopher French did not post a long defense. Instead, he shared a cryptic Instagram Story that framed the moment as a question of whether something is worth your energy.
He also publicly supported her in a comment on The Cut’s Instagram post, writing that he was proud of her.
The other response that poured fuel on the fire
Hilary Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma, mocked the situation on Instagram with a satirical post and harsh wording aimed at Tisdale French, which helped push the story further into “feud” territory.
At that point, the story was no longer just about one mom group. It became a public back-and-forth that people could pick sides on.
What sources say is really behind the fallout
One report citing sources close to the situation framed the split as a “misalignment of values,” not a dramatic blowup, while also noting that friends naturally drift and that making it public intensified everything.
Meanwhile, the attention has been loud enough that others loosely connected to the rumored circle have made posts that looked like indirect reactions.
Where things stand now
Right now, the key facts are simple:
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Tisdale French says the group dynamic became unhealthy for her, and she chose to step away.
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Her husband has signaled support and urged, indirectly, not to feed the noise.
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The public feud angle grew when the story turned into speculation, and when a prominent spouse fired back publicly
