Mandy Moore has opened up about the quiet grief that can come with changing friendships amid the ongoing backlash surrounding Ashley Tisdale’s controversial ‘toxic mom group’ essay.
While appearing on Wednesday’s episode of Conversations With Cam, the This Is Us, 41, star reflected on how motherhood has reshaped her closest relationships.
‘Do you feel like you have seen friendships, sort of, take a different course?’ Moore asked host Cameron Rogers during their conversation.
Moore went on to explain that she has found herself gravitating toward parents in the same stage of life.
‘I have friends who have kids that are older, and I have found that the people I’m closest with in my life right now are people who are at the same chapter of their lives as parents. Like, we have kids the same age,’ she said. ‘I’ve had to sort of mourn in a way, not the loss of those friendships, but how they’ve changed.’
Rogers reassured the actress that such shifts are common, noting that parents often stay closest to those navigating the same milestones.
Mandy Moore has opened up about the quiet grief that can come with friendships amid the ongoing backlash surrounding Ashley Tisdale’s controversial ‘toxic mom group’ essay
‘I have friends who have kids the exact same age as mine. I have friends who have kids that are older. … The reality is, you’re going to be more in contact with people who are your [kids’] exact age,’ Rogers said.
Moore admitted the changes still ‘surprised’ her.
The actress, who shares sons August, 4, and Oscar, 3, and daughter Louise, 15 months, with husband Taylor Goldsmith, added that some relationships no longer feel like her immediate support system.
‘I just assumed all of these relationships would continue to … not that they don’t serve me, but, they wouldn’t be the first people I would reach out to right now when I’m like, “Gus has changed his mind seven times about what he wants to be for Halloween.”‘
Moore’s comments come just days after she seemingly weighed in on the backlash surrounding Tisdale’s viral essay about feeling excluded from a once-tight-knit mom group.
Last week, Moore showed support for Matthew Koma, the husband of Hilary Duff, after he slammed Tisdale’s essay as ‘self obsessed’ and ‘tone deaf.’
Moore reshared an Instagram Story from Koma that showed her performing her hit song Candy at a California benefit concert marking the anniversary of the Pacific Palisades fires.
‘This feels incredibly fitting as @matthewkoma happens to be one [of] the most talented and generous humans I’m lucky to know,’ Moore wrote.
While appearing on Wednesday’s episode of Conversations With Cam, the This Is Us star reflected on how motherhood has reshaped her closest relationships
Moore went on to explain that she has found herself gravitating toward parents in the same stage of life
She also revealed that Duff and Koma opened their home to her family during the Pacific Palisades evacuation.
Earlier this month, Tisdale made headlines for her The Cut essay, titled Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group, which detailed her experience feeling frozen out during her postpartum period.
While she did not name anyone directly, fans quickly speculated the group included Duff, Moore and Meghan Trainor, particularly after Tisdale unfollowed Moore and Duff on Instagram.
Tisdale, who shares daughter Jupiter, 5, and son Emerson, 16 months, with husband Christopher French, had previously praised the same mom circle as her ‘village’ following Jupiter’s birth in 2021.
Earlier this month, Tisdale made headlines for her The Cut essay, titled Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group, which detailed her experience feeling frozen out during her postpartum period.
Matthew Koma, the husband of Hilary Duff, slammed Tisdale’s essay as ‘self obsessed’ and ‘tone deaf.’
In her essay, Tisdale wrote that she began noticing she was no longer invited to gatherings she later saw posted on social media.
‘It took me back to an unpleasant but familiar feeling I thought I’d left behind years ago,’ she wrote. ‘Here I was sitting alone one night after getting my daughter to bed thinking “Maybe I’m not cool enough?”‘
She ultimately said she texted the group to step away, writing: ‘This is too high school for me and I don’t want to take part in it anymore.’
‘To be clear I have never considered the moms to be bad people (maybe one),’ she added. ‘But I do think our group dynamic stopped being healthy and positive – for me anyway.’
In her essay, Tisdale wrote that she began noticing she was no longer invited to gatherings she later saw posted on social media; seen in 2025
Meanwhile, speculation intensified after Duff’s sister Haylie was seen liking a social media post promoting Tisdale’s essay, a move that did not go unnoticed given long-running rumors of tension between the Duff sisters.
Duff and Moore, however, appear to remain close.
The longtime friends have spoken openly about their bond and were recently seen sharing photos from a festive holiday outing with their children.
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Tisdale, Ryan, Duff and Moore for comment.
