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Just when the \u201ctoxic mom group<\/a>\u201d drama seemed to cool off, it officially got a new layer. Hilary Duff<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s sister, Haylie Duff<\/strong><\/a>, subtly inserted herself into the conversation by liking Ashley Tisdale<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s viral essay \u2014 and fans were quick to notice.<\/p>\n Ashley, 40, sparked widespread chatter earlier this month after publishing a deeply personal piece for The Cut<\/em><\/a> titled Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group<\/em>, in which she detailed cutting ties with a group of mom friends she felt excluded and bullied by. While Ashley never named names, online speculation immediately zeroed in on a possible connection to Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore<\/strong> and Meghan Trainor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Now, Haylie\u2019s social media activity is raising even more eyebrows.<\/p>\n According to Us Weekly<\/em><\/a>, Haylie, 40, \u201cliked\u201d a joint Instagram post shared by Ashley and The Cut promoting the essay. The post read, \u201cLEAVE YOUR TOXIC FRIENDS BEHIND YOU IN 2026, says @ashleytisdalefrench. For #ItsBeenAYear, the actress, beauty founder, and mother details dumping her mom group, where the bullying between women mirrored their children\u2019s playground antics. Read the story of how it all unfolded, in her own words, at the link in bio.\u201d<\/p>\n While liking a post may seem harmless on its own, the timing \u2014 and family connections \u2014 quickly fueled speculation. Some fans wondered if Haylie\u2019s support of the essay was a subtle signal amid longstanding rumors that she and sister Hilary, 38, aren\u2019t as close as they once were. (The sisters have not been photographed together publicly since 2019.)<\/p>\n The renewed attention comes as Ashley\u2019s essay continues to make waves online. In the piece, the High School Musical<\/em> alum opened up about feeling sidelined within her mom group and realizing she needed to step away for her own mental health. Before officially leaving, Ashley recalled texting the group, \u201cThis is too high school for me, and I don\u2019t want to take part in it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite rampant speculation, Ashley\u2019s camp has firmly denied that the essay was about any specific celebrity moms. Her representative told TMZ<\/em><\/a> there is \u201czero truth to what online \u2018detectives\u2019 think they\u2019ve cracked,\u201d insisting the piece was not about Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore or Meghan Trainor.<\/p>\n Still, Hilary\u2019s husband, Matthew Koma<\/strong>, appeared to weigh in with a not-so-subtle jab. In an Instagram Story posted Tuesday, January 6, the musician shared a satirical fake headline styled as a Cut cover. \u201cA mom group tell-all through a father\u2019s eyes,\u201d Koma, 38, wrote. \u201cWhen you\u2019re the most self obsessed tone deaf person on earth, other moms tend to shift focus to their actual toddlers.\u201d<\/p>\n Ashley\u2019s husband, Christopher French<\/strong>, also chimed in \u2014 albeit more cryptically \u2014 by reposting a message to his Instagram Story that read, \u201cIt\u2019s your choice whether or not to engage.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, questions about the Duff sisters\u2019 relationship have lingered for years. In a November 2025 interview with Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a>, Hilary appeared to allude to family tension while discussing her return to music. \u201cWe have gone through a lot of the same things \u2014 whether that\u2019s complicated relationships, anxiety, raising kids, divorces, trying to find yourself in adulthood, family drama\u2026\u201d she said. \u201cFinally I felt safe enough and comfortable in my own family to step outside and open that part of myself up again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n