Mandy Moore found Ashley Tisdale’s scathing essay about an allegedly “toxic” mom friend group “very upsetting”.
Moore spoke about the drama for the first time on Andy Cohen’s radio show on Monday, saying, “It’s rough to talk about your life to someone. I know Hilary[Duff]mentioned it.”
Moore continued, “It’s like we both grew up in this industry and had people analyze who we are and the choices we make and all that, but this was something completely different and obviously much more upsetting.”
The “This Is Us” actress added that Tisdale’s essay she wrote for The Cut in January was “right to the point.”
Moore also accused the “High School Musical” alum of “insinuating” that Moore and other members of her friend group, including Duff and Meghan Trainor, were not kind.
“I think that was the biggest takeaway. It was like, ‘Wow,'” Moore said.
While Moore admitted that she was “really scared of confrontation,” she said she was “a big proponent” of discussing everything in life.
“It’s not always the most comfortable situation,” she continued. “But I think I kind of felt different in that I feel like I wouldn’t have handled the situation this way.”
The Rapunzel star also said she was upset that Tisdale’s essay that women can’t support each other and are “inherently mean” “perpetuates this stupid trope,” something the mother of three said she hasn’t experienced since becoming a mother.
Moore added that she has “meaningful relationships” with other mothers and appreciates the “community” they have.
Duff, 38, praised Moore’s response, commenting “class bebe” under the Radio Andy clip on Instagram.
In her essay titled “Leaving a Toxic Mom Group”, Tisdale claimed that she felt “uncool” after being excluded from her former mom group hangout and that she “didn’t understand” why she had been left out.
Tisdale said she chose to sever ties with the group because “the dynamics were no longer healthy and positive.”
After the essay made headlines, Tisdale’s rep denied she was talking about Duff, Moore or Traynor, but Duff’s husband Matthew Koma slammed Tisdale on social media.
Duff, who has four children, broke her silence on Tisdale’s essay “Call Daddy” in February, admitting that she “felt really sad” about the situation.
The “Lizzie McGuire” alum also said she was “surprised” by Tisdale’s comments.
