These days, we’re starting to expect a lot more from our partners, whether that’s the full “Princess Treatment,” covering every meal, or picking up your latest Sephora haul. But should our expectations extend beyond the financial? Is chivalry evolving past pulling out your chair to, say, fighting battles on our behalf?
In other words, should your partner ever get involved in your friendship drama?
When celebrity mum feuds hit the internet, suddenly everyone wanted a piece of the action –including one famous mama’s husband. It’s a little like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, where DadTok stepped into the middle of arguments—awkward, and maybe a little cringe.
So, is swooping in the ultimate act of chivalry, or does it cross the line into domineering and intrusive? Let’s unpack this.
Ashley Tisdale called out her ‘Toxic Mom Group’
This saga begins where so many internet dramas do: with a tell-all article in The Cut. This time, it was Sharpay Evans — sorry, Ashley Tisdale — who opened up in an essay titled “Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group.”
The 40-year-old had previously praised the benefits of having support from a “village of moms” after the birth of her first daughter in 2021. But according to Tisdale, the group — which reportedly includes several other celebrities — gradually reminded her of high school cliques, leaving her feeling “frozen out” at a vulnerable time.
She explained that some mothers had started socialising without her, and she noticed a “growing distance” even at events they attended together. Honestly, who can’t relate? And clearly, she wasn’t alone, as several other mums penned similar essays discussing how toxic these environments can become.
But this isn’t about dissecting the essay itself (though, seriously, go read it). It’s about the aftermath.
Tisdale discouraged readers from guessing who she was talking about, adding: “Whatever you think is true isn’t even close.” Naturally, the internet ignored that, scouring group photos and pointing fingers at Meghan Trainor, Mandy Moore, and Hilary Duff. Tisdale’s reps quickly clarified that the essay was not about any of them.
Trainor took it in stride with a jokey TikTok, Moore celebrated her mum friends, and Duff stayed silent. The one who did speak up? Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma.
After the article went viral, Koma mocked it by photoshopping his own headline about the“most self-obsessed, tone-deaf person on earth,” and mimicking Tisdale’s pose in the photo. Yikes.