Hilary Duff's husband, musician Matthew Koma, has publicly entered the fray of a simmering celebrity 'mom group' drama, employing his signature dry wit to comment on claims made by actress Ashley Tisdale.
The Instagram Jab That Sparked Chatter
On Tuesday, Koma took to his Instagram account, directly addressing the swirling speculation that a fallout had occurred between his wife and Tisdale. The tension stems from an essay Tisdale penned for The Cut, titled 'Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group,' where she detailed feelings of exclusion during her postpartum period.
Koma shared a mock headline that read: 'When You're the Most Self Obsessed Tone Deaf Person on Earth, Other Moms Tend to Shift Focus to Their Actual Toddlers.' The post was widely interpreted as a pointed, humorous retort to Tisdale's published account.
Unpacking the 'Toxic Mom Group' Allegations
The controversy began when Ashley Tisdale, famed for High School Musical, published her personal essay. In it, she described a close-knit 'village of moms' that had included Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, and Meghan Trainor after she welcomed her daughter Jupiter in 2021.
However, Tisdale wrote that she later began to feel 'frozen out' and deliberately excluded from gatherings, which she would subsequently see posted on social media. She described the experience as regressing to a high-school mentality, questioning what she was doing 'wrong.'
'It took me back to an unpleasant but familiar feeling I thought I'd left behind years ago,' Tisdale confessed in the article, which carefully avoided naming any individuals.
The situation escalated when observant fans noted that Tisdale had unfollowed both Duff and Moore on Instagram, leading many to conclude they were the subjects of her essay.
Ripples Through the Celebrity Circle
Other figures connected to the group have since appeared to respond. Clothing designer Samii Ryan, linked to the circle, reposted a video set to Megan Thee Stallion's song 'Her,' with lyrics beginning: 'I don't care if these b*****s don't like me.' She captioned it '2026 mood,' fuelling speculation it was a reaction to the drama.
Ryan also shared a photo of an open book page that stated: 'Nothing in this book is known to be true/ It's a reflection on what I've noticed/ Not facts so much as thoughts.'
In her original essay, Tisdale emphasised she did not view the mothers as 'bad people,' but stated the group dynamic had stopped being 'healthy and positive' for her. She claimed to have sent a final text to the group, declaring the situation 'too high school' and that she no longer wished to participate.
As of now, neither Hilary Duff nor Mandy Moore have issued public statements regarding the essay or the subsequent social media activity from Koma and Ryan, leaving the celebrity mom group saga to play out in the court of public opinion.
