The Moment
Meghan Trainor and Ashley Tisdale are the latest celebrities getting dragged into that most suburban of battlefields: the mom group.
In a new video interview outside Alan Cumming’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on January 8, 2026, Meghan’s husband Daryl Sabara was asked about Ashley Tisdale’s recent essay describing a “toxic” mom group she used to be in. Online fans quickly decided the unnamed offenders had to be a clique of famous millennial moms, allegedly including Meghan, Hilary Duff, and Mandy Moore.
Daryl shut that down from his side. According to the video shared by TMZ, he said there was no anger from him or Meghan toward Ashley and wished her well, making it clear he wasn’t signing up for any mom-drama storyline.
Meghan Trainor’s Husband Hopes Ashley Tisdale Is OK Amid Mom Group Rumors https://t.co/4Mdr8QzUdj pic.twitter.com/7olo5uCbYA
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 9, 2026
Meghan, for her part, already poked fun at the rumors with a TikTok that shows her searching through gossip about her “little friend group” while her new track “Still Don’t Care” plays over it. Meanwhile, Hilary Duff’s husband Matthew Koma jumped into the mess a bit harder, teasing the whole situation in an Instagram post that appeared to mock the original piece about Ashley’s essay.
So on one side, we’ve got Ashley talking about an unnamed toxic mom group. On the other, we have a very calm Daryl and a winking Meghan saying, in so many words, “You can talk, but we’re unbothered.”
The Take
I have to say it: this is peak 2020s celebrity culture. We used to argue over who was a secret diva on a movie set. Now we’re trying to CSI our way into which famous moms were passive-aggressive in a group chat about sleep training.
The whole thing feels like Mean Girls re-staged in a West Hollywood playroom. Only this time, instead of burn books, we have essays about “toxic” mom groups and TikToks with pointed soundtrack choices.
Here’s what stands out to me: Ashley never publicly named anyone in her essay. It was the internet that rushed to cast the roles. People saw “toxic mom group” and immediately plugged in the most visible, Instagram-perfect cluster of millennial celebrity moms they could think of: Meghan, Hilary, Mandy, plus their husbands. It’s fan-fiction, but with diaper bags.
At the same time, Meghan and Daryl clearly know the rumors are out there, and they’re choosing two different but compatible moves: she’s playing it with humor, he’s being gently diplomatic. Together the message is: we refuse to turn motherhood into a public cage match.
And honestly, that’s probably the smartest possible response. If they ignored it, fans would say “Aha, must be true.” If they came out swinging, it would turn into a week-long spectacle and somebody would eventually feel pressured to name names. Instead, Daryl gives us a low-drama quote, Meghan gives us a cheeky soundtrack, and the story gets downgraded from “massive feud” to “group-text awkwardness, allegedly.”
The bigger cultural piece here? Mom culture is intense, even without fame. There is always that one group chat, that one playground crew, where someone is judged for how they feed, sleep-train, or work. Now add celebrity, brand deals, and millions of followers watching every stroller walk, and of course it’s going to get weird.
If anything, this saga reminds us that parasocial detective work can cross a line. You can relate to Ashley’s story about a bad mom group and still accept that we may never know who she was actually talking about – and maybe we’re not entitled to.
Receipts
Let’s separate what’s actually on record from what’s just fan theory.
- Confirmed: Ashley Tisdale published an essay describing a “toxic” mom group she once belonged to, without naming specific people. This is referenced in the TMZ report.
- Confirmed: In a video interview outside Alan Cumming’s Walk of Fame ceremony on January 8, 2026, Daryl Sabara told TMZ there was no anger toward Ashley from him or Meghan and wished her well.
- Confirmed: TMZ reports that Meghan Trainor posted a TikTok jokingly searching gossip about her friend group while her song “Still Don’t Care” plays, framing the rumors as something she isn’t stressed about.
- Confirmed: According to TMZ, Hilary Duff’s husband Matthew Koma reacted on Instagram, seemingly mocking the coverage around Ashley’s essay and leaning into the drama with humor.
- Confirmed: Ashley Tisdale’s representative told TMZ that Meghan Trainor, Hilary Duff, and Mandy Moore were not the mom group members Ashley was referring to.
- Unverified / Rumor: Online speculation that Meghan, Hilary, and Mandy were the “toxic” moms Ashley wrote about. This has been denied by Ashley’s rep and hasn’t been confirmed by anyone involved.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
Quick refresher: Meghan Trainor is the pop singer behind “All About That Bass,” now a mom who’s very open about her family life online. Her husband Daryl Sabara is the former child actor from the Spy Kids movies. Ashley Tisdale is best known from Disney’s High School Musical era, Hilary Duff from Lizzie McGuire and more recently How I Met Your Father, and Mandy Moore from the hit drama This Is Us. All of them are now in that very public, very scrutinized phase of life: raising young kids with millions watching.
In late 2025, Ashley wrote a candid essay about a mom group she said became toxic – think judgment, exclusion, and subtle bullying – but she didn’t identify anyone. From there, internet detectives linked it to a visible circle of famous moms who are often photographed together. That speculation is what Meghan, Daryl, and Matthew Koma have been quietly – or not so quietly – responding to.
What’s Next
Based on Daryl’s comments, it doesn’t sound like he or Meghan plan to feed this story any further. A calm “no drama” on the sidewalk is usually celebrity-speak for: we’re not giving this more oxygen.
Ashley may continue to talk about mom culture and boundaries – that’s clearly something she cares about – but unless she chooses to name names (and there’s no indication she will), this will likely stay in the realm of blind-item curiosity.
The person most likely to keep winking at the situation is Matthew Koma, who already showed he’s comfortable trolling the narrative on Instagram. But unless one of the women directly confirms or contradicts the rumor in a big way, this feels like the kind of story that burns hot for a week on social media and then fades into the larger “celebrity parents trying to have normal lives” file.
Maybe that’s the lesson here: not every uncomfortable chapter in someone’s life needs a full public casting call. Ashley can talk about healing from a bad mom group. Meghan can shrug off being labeled toxic by association. And the rest of us can maybe, just maybe, let famous moms have one group chat that doesn’t end up on the internet.
Your turn: Do you think celebrities can ever have truly “normal” mom friendships, or is the fame and fan speculation just too much in the mix?
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