Glee alumna Becca Tobin is weighing in on the escalating “mean girl” drama involving Ashley Tisdale and Hilary Duff’s social circle. During Tuesday’s episode of The LadyGang podcast, Tobin offered a candid perspective on the friction that has captivated pop-culture enthusiasts.
“I’m not entirely familiar with the internal politics of this supposedly toxic mom group,” Tobin admitted to her listeners. Referring to Tisdale’s recent soul-baring essay for The Cut—where the actress described a parenting clique that felt regressive and cliquey—Tobin noted that while the situation is inherently relatable, Tisdale’s approach lacked foresight.
While many mothers struggle to navigate social hierarchies, Tobin suggested that Tisdale underestimated the tenacity of online investigators. “Someone in her circle should have warned her that digital detectives would unmask the group’s members within seconds,” Tobin remarked. She emphasized that stars from the mid-2000s era, particularly Tisdale and Hilary Duff, still command “hardcore stans” who meticulously track their every digital footprint.
However, Tobin’s sharpest criticism was reserved for Duff’s husband, musician Matthew Koma. She expressed significant distaste for his decision to insert himself into the public discourse to disparage Tisdale. “In my view, there are no losers in this group except for Hilary Duff’s husband,” Tobin stated bluntly. “It’s incredibly off-putting when husbands dive into these situations to be petty, especially since Ashley never explicitly named anyone.”
Tobin argued that if Tisdale had launched a direct attack on Duff, a husband’s defense might be warranted. Instead, she viewed Koma’s intervention as a performative cry for attention. “He chose to attack a woman’s character, calling her self-absorbed. I find that remarkably tacky,” she added, noting she would be mortified if her own spouse behaved that way.
The controversy ignited after Tisdale’s essay led fans to speculate that her “mean girl” group included Duff, Mandy Moore, and Meghan Trainor. Koma responded to the rumors by sharing a parody magazine cover on social media, featuring a mock headline that labeled Tisdale “the most self-obsessed, tone-deaf person on Earth.”
