Hilary Duff and Ashley Tisdale‘s “toxic” relationship has been the source of wild speculation of late—but it appears that the two women shared a close, affectionate friendship that was so intertwined their families even exchanged homes.
Years before Tisdale, 40, sparked a frenzy of speculation and rumor by publishing an essay about her “toxic mom group”—which many believe was pointed at a circle of women that includes Duff, Mandy Moore and singer Meghan Trainor, among others—the former Disney star sold her home to none other than Duff’s sister, Haylie.
Tisdale, who is married to Christopher French, offloaded a picturesque dwelling in Studio City, CA, to Duff’s older sibling for $2.7 million in 2016, almost one decade before she became embroiled in a bitter feud with the younger of the two sisters.
However, it appears changed in the decade since the pad was exchanged.
Not only is Duff alleged to have fallen out with her sister amid rumors of a rift between Haylie’s fiancé, Matthew Rosenberg, and her own husband, Matthew Coma, but she has now found herself at the center of a bitter scandal sparked by an essay that Tisdale wrote for The Cut.
In the essay, which was titled “Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group,” Tisdale accused her former friend group of “always” leaving her out, adding that she felt “drained” after spending time with them.
“If a mom group consistently leaves you feeling hurt, drained or left out, it’s not the mom group for you,” Tisdale wrote. “Choosing to step away doesn’t make you mean or judgmental. It makes you honest with yourself. It’s also worth remembering that friendships, like all relationships, have seasons.”
The Disney Channel child star explained that she decided to step away from the mom group after constantly questioning why she was allegedly not being invited to the group’s events.
“I realized that there were group text chains that didn’t include everyone, which led to cliques forming within the larger group,” she revealed.
“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. We were all busy, life was hectic. I told myself it was all in my head and it wasn’t a big deal.
“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.
“As I increasingly felt left out, I remembered something. Or rather, someone, during the early days of the group, there was another mom who often wasn’t included.
“I’d picked up on hints of a weird dynamic, but at the time, I didn’t dwell on it too much. I was just so happy to have found these incredible, smart, funny women.”
Tisdale explained that she started to notice an unhealthy trend emerging in the group that seemed to revolve around leaving people out of things—something she only realized was happening when it became focused on her.
“Now it seemed that this group had a pattern of leaving someone out. And that someone had become me. Why me? The truth is, I don’t know and I probably never will,” she confessed.
Tisdale, who shares daughters Jupiter, 4, and Emerson, 1, with her husband, recalled “sitting alone one night after getting [her] daughter to bed … feeling totally lost as to what [she] was doing ‘wrong’ to be left out.”
The actress eventually announced she was leaving the group by sending them a very direct text message.
“I texted the group after being left out from yet another group hang: ‘This is too high school for me, and I don’t want to take part in it anymore.’ It didn’t exactly go over well,” she revealed.
“Some of the others tried to smooth things over. One sent flowers, then ignored me when I thanked her for them. Another tried to convince me that everyone assumed I’d been invited to gatherings and just hadn’t shown up.”
Tisdale noted that she decided to speak out against the moms’ behavior after thinking about what she would want her daughters to do.
“It’s because I’m a mom that I couldn’t stay quiet. I kept thinking, ‘Aren’t we supposed to be teaching our kids to speak up for themselves when their feelings are hurt?’ I knew that I had to speak up for myself, just like I would want my daughters to do,” she said.
Tisdale then unfollowed Duff and Moore on Instagram; however, she still follows Trainor.
The tension rose to new heights when Duff’s husband, Koma, took to Instagram to comment on Tisdale’s allegations.
“When You’re The Most Self-Obsessed Tone Deaf Person On Earth, Other Moms Tend To Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers. Read my interview with @thecut,” the DJ penned alongside a photoshopped snap of himself appearing on a fake cover of the magazine.
He titled the photo, “A Mom Group Tell All Through a Father’s Eyes.”
Tisdale’s husband then seemingly chimed in with a cryptic Instagram Stories post that read, “It’s your choice whether or not to engage.”
Clothing designer Samii Ryan, who is a part of the mom group, seemingly responded to Tisdale’s allegations by mouthing the lyrics to Megan Thee Stallion’s 2022 hit “Her.”
“I don’t care if these b—es don’t like me, ’cause, like, I’m pretty as f–k. Just the other day, I heard a hoe say. Matter of fact, what could a hoe say? With a face like this and a b—h this paid, s–t, what could a hoe say?” Megan raps.
In 2024, Duff told People that she was thankful to have found a group of women she connects with.
“I feel like our big connection to one another, even though we’re pop stars or on TV, is we love our kids. They were little baby worms when we all first got together and started music class at my house.
“Now, we’re in art class together, and we’re in gymnastics class together, and we’re just, like, moms,” she said.
Moore also gushed about the mom group while speaking to InStyle.
“Somehow, I got invited into it and it’s the best. I’ve made so many wonderful friends. We all just gathered earlier this week and had dinner and we have baby classes together and it’s incredible.
“It’s so much fun. I’m very, very grateful to have those resources and just incredible women to be able to lean on. We’re all kind of going through this chapter of our lives together,” she said.
The group of women frequently share snaps of themselves during outings, many of which Tisdale has been noticeably absent from.
The A-listers reportedly all live close to each other, with Duff residing in a five-bedroom property, which she purchased in 2010 for $3.8 million and sprawls across 5,260 square feet.
Moore and Duff seemingly share the closest bond, with Moore having stayed with the “Mature” songstress after losing her home in the devastating 2025 California Wildfires.