From the moment that we read Ashley Tisdale’s scathing takedown of her former ‘toxic” mom group, we wondered when this would come.
There had to be some sort of response, some sort of reprisal, right?
The “mean girl” mom group included other big names — including Meghan Trainor, Mandy Moore, and Hilary Duff.
It is Hilary who appears to be responding — however indirectly — with shade.
Matthew Koma is standing by his wife
We’ve seen Matthew Koma ardently defend Hilary Duff in the past.
Now, even though Ashley Tisdale never name-dropped his famous wife in her article, he’s once again clapping back in her defense.
On Tuesday, January 6, he took to his Instagram Story with a mock-up The Cut cover photo of himself.
“A mom group tell all through a father’s eyes,” reads the phony headline. “When You’re the Most Self-Obsessed Tone Deaf Person on Earth, Other Moms Tend to Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers.”
His tongue-in-cheek caption then reads: “Read my new interview with @thecut.”
Get a husband that defends you like Matthew Koma does Hilary Duff 💪🏽🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/BPWHBXRGKz
— Jenn (@Jenniferrayy2) January 7, 2026
Instagram Story posts are ephemeral by design. The mock-up is no longer accessible on Matthew Koma’s page.
However, it has obviously spread far and wide on social media.
Many are praising his defense of Hilary Duff. She remains a popular treasure.
Plus, it’s nice to see a husband defend his wife.
That said, others wonder if this is a deserved clapback — or just an extension of the “toxic” culture to which Ashley Tisdale referred.
In her essay, Ashley Tisdale explained leaving her ‘toxic’ mom group
In case you missed our earlier reporting, Ashley Tisdale wrote extensively for The Cut about leaving a mom group.
The former Disney star wanted more than just medical advice.
She wanted a social circle of other new moms where they could set up toddler birthdays, discuss specific products, and generally just relate to each other.
In addition to being famous for their hangouts on Instagram, this particular group included other celebrities. As we mentioned, that means Hilary Duff, Meghan Trainor, and Mandy Moore.
However, Ashley soon felt herself facing what felt like exclusion and the sort of indirect bullying that she likened to “high school.”
Ultimately, Ashley observed that some — but not all — of the women in the group seemed to be “mean” and ‘toxic.”
Even those who likely played no role in her alleged exclusion, she lamented, didn’t seem to notice when she didn’t receive an invite.
She is notably no longer following Hilary or Mandy on Instagram.
However, fans have noticed that she’s still following Meghan Trainor.
It is likely that this tells us which of the fellow moms she holds accountable for these alleged antics.
Who’s right? Who’s the real ‘mean girl’ bad guy?
When a group is excluding one person, that can mean that the group sucks. That can mean that the person sucks and a non-confrontational group is trying to phase them out.
However, this can also mean that there are communication issues.
Even if it isn’t the most likely explanation, we cannot rule out that Ashley Tisdale was very sensitive and some other moms were a little thoughtless, and that this is all a misunderstanding that has boiled over into hostility.
That said, Ashley says that other moms had reached out to share that they had similar experiences.
Either way, Matthew Koma is standing by his wife. And, to be blunt, even if she were in the wrong, wouldn’t you if Hilary Duff were your wife? Let’s be real.