Hilary Duff has publicly addressed Ashley Tisdale-French's viral essay about "toxic mom groups," expressing profound sadness and feeling "used." Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast on February 25, 2026, Duff stated the essay felt "not true" and that its timing, coinciding with major career announcements, was "not great."

Tisdale-French's essay, titled "Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group," was published in The Cut on January 1, 2026, garnering significant online speculation that Duff, Mandy Moore, and Meghan Trainor were part of the unnamed group. Duff clarified her feelings, saying it "sucks to read something that's, like, not true. And it sucks on behalf of, like, six women in all of their lives." She also noted that her husband, Matthew Koma, posted a mocking headline on Instagram on January 6, 2026, poking fun at the essay, a move Duff found humorous and supportive.

The timing proved particularly difficult for Duff, who officially announced "the lucky me tour" on February 12, 2026, marking her first full-scale global headline run in nearly two decades. Her sixth studio album, "Luckā€¦ or Something," also debuted on February 20, 2026. Despite the drama, Duff confirmed she remains on good terms with friends like Mandy Moore, who voiced support for her.