Mandy Moore breaks her silence on ‘Toxic Mom Group’ drama that flared up after Ashley Tisdale’s article in Pieces Earlier this year.
the this is us The star recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Livewhere she shared her reaction to Tisdale’s claims that she had to leave her mother’s group because it became toxic and she felt neglected.
in spite of High school musical The alum didn’t drop names, and people online were quick to assume she was referring to Moore, Hilary Duff, and Meghan Trainor, as they were photographed together in what appeared to be the same group of friends.
“It’s weird for anyone to talk about your life, and I know Hillary mentioned that too,” Moore said. “It’s like we grew up in this business and had people dissect who we are and the choices we make and all that, but this was something completely different and definitely more disturbing, you know what I mean? It cuts to the core.”
The actress, who has three children with husband Taylor Goldsmith, continued: “The most important thing in my life is to be a kind person and such a legacy of kindness, and anyone who insinuates that that might not be the case, and with the company that I choose to keep is very upsetting. I would say that was the biggest takeaway, kind of shocking like ‘Wow.’
the A walk to remember The star admitted that she’s “really afraid of confrontation,” but when it really matters, she’s “very pro” having a conversation “if my feelings are hurt or there’s something I need to get something off my chest.”
“It’s not always the most comfortable of situations, but I think that’s where I kind of disagreed in feeling like I wouldn’t have handled the situation that way,” Moore said. “I think the biggest takeaway from that ridiculous debacle of like, ‘Wow, it’s a really slow news day,’ is that I feel like it just kind of perpetuates this ridiculous trope that women can’t support each other and that we’re inherently petty and that we’re inherently superior to each other, and I haven’t felt that one bit since becoming a parent.
“I’ve been really surprised by the meaningful connections I’ve found with other moms and other dads in general,” she added. “That’s always been my takeaway, and you need that. You need community. You need to find that support wherever you can get it. We need to be able to talk about all of that.”
In her January essay, Tisdale explained what led to her decision to break away from her friend group, writing: “I started to feel frozen out of the group, and noticed all the ways it seemed to exclude me. At first, I tried not to take things personally. It’s not like people aren’t allowed to meet without me — and there were probably perfectly valid reasons for not inviting me. We were all busy, and life was hectic.”
the Phineas and Ferb The star later added: “You deserve to go through motherhood with people who actually, you know, He loves You. And if you have to wonder if they do, here’s a hard-learned lesson I hope you’ll take to heart: It’s not the group for you. Even if it looks like they’re having the best time on Instagram.
In February, Duff also responded to the headline-making drama, saying, “This is nothing new to me. I’ve had this since I was about 15 and I started being followed by paparazzi. It all started being documented and everyone knows my life and all the players in it. So the stories that are picking up on the news — this is not what happens to a normal person who maybe becomes an actor as an adult.”
