Ashley Tisdale Secures Dual Role in New CBS Comedy Series
Actress Ashley Tisdale, aged 40, has officially confirmed her participation in the forthcoming CBS sitcom You're Only Young Twice, taking on both a leading acting role and an executive producer position. The announcement was made through her primary Instagram account on Friday, revealing that the project is currently in active development stages.
Series Details and Creative Team
According to industry publication Deadline, Tisdale will portray the character Emily in the comedy series while simultaneously serving as one of the executive producers overseeing the production. Scriptwriting duties have been assigned to Tommy Johnagin, with additional casting announcements expected to follow in the coming weeks.
The show's premise centers on Emily and her counterpart Alex, characters who married at a young age and now find themselves navigating life as 35-year-olds with their child beginning college. An official IMDB synopsis describes them as "newly divorced empty-nesters who stumble through dating, co-parenting, and maybe a second chance at love."
Tisdale's Career Background and Recent Projects
The mother-of-two humorously shared her casting news on social media, writing: "I told my agent I was retired from acting and he said… umm no you're not." This marks a significant return to television for Tisdale, who previously appeared in the CBS series Carol's Second Act alongside Patricia Heaton from 2019 to 2020.
Beyond her television work, Tisdale maintains a diverse entertainment portfolio including her iconic role as Sharpay in Disney's High School Musical franchise, voice work as Candace in the animated series Phineas and Ferb, and appearances in films such as Scary Movie 5 (2013) and Playing It Cool (2014). She also starred in the 2019 holiday sitcom Merry Happy Whatever.
Reflecting on her recent television experiences during a 2019 interview with CBS, Tisdale remarked: "I didn't expect that it would be so fulfilling, but it was really fulfilling for me as an actor. I got to do things that I really haven't done in my career yet. I felt really good about it."
Recent Personal Controversy and Celebrity Dynamics
The casting announcement arrives amidst ongoing public discussion regarding Tisdale's personal life, particularly her January article for The Cut titled "Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group." In the piece, she detailed her decision to leave a celebrity mother group that included fellow actresses Mandy Moore and Hilary Duff, citing feelings of being "frozen out" during her postpartum period.
Tisdale, who shares daughters Jupiter (4) and Emerson (1) with husband Christopher French, described experiencing exclusion from gatherings, writing: "All of a sudden I was in high school again, feeling totally lost as to what I was doing 'wrong' to be left out." She ultimately texted the group: "This is too high school for me and I don't want to take part in it anymore."
While not naming specific individuals in her article, observers noted that Tisdale unfollowed both Duff and Moore on Instagram around the time of publication. Duff's husband Matthew Koma subsequently defended his wife, describing Tisdale as "self obsessed and tone deaf."
Response from Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff addressed the controversy during a recent episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, expressing her initial reaction: "I honestly felt really sad. I was, like, pretty, pretty taken aback and felt just, like, sad." She elaborated on her perspective regarding friendship groups, stating: "I have so many groups of friends. I'm so lucky. Motherhood has brought on, like, I have my core group of friends who have been my ride-or-dies for 10 to 20 years."
During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Duff further commented on the situation: "It's hard because you're like, 'Wait, whoa, that person kind of got it right,' and 'Whoa that person doesn't know what they're talking about.' I saw something that was like, 'None of the moms at school actually like her and neither do the teachers,' and I was like, 'First of all… the women at school are lovely and I'm obsessed with all of them.'"
While Tisdale celebrates her new professional opportunity, Duff continues her own career momentum with the recent release of her sixth studio album Luck... Or Something on February 20.
