> At a Glance
> – Willa Ford says two close friends were in Ashley Tisdale’s former mom group
> – Ford insists Kelsey Deenihan and Janice Gott are “wonderful humans” who don’t bully
> – Tisdale wrote about leaving a “toxic” mom group without naming names
> – Why it matters: The viral essay sparked online speculation about celebrity moms
The mom-group fallout keeps growing. Pop singer Willa Ford has stepped forward to defend two friends linked to Ashley Tisdale French‘s former circle, saying they “didn’t deserve” the spotlight that followed Tisdale French’s viral essay about quitting the clique.
Ford’s Defense
Speaking on Jan. 9 to Page Six Radio, Ford-best known for her 2001 hit I Wanna Be Bad-said she is “ride or die” with celebrity make-up artist Kelsey Deenihan and breast-pump founder Janice Gott, both photographed with Tisdale French in the past.
> “My girlfriends didn’t deserve this. They’re not actresses. Their faces didn’t deserve to be plastered.”
Ford, 44, added that during her own divorce the two women were constants in her life and that “bullying is not in their DNA.”
What Tisdale French Wrote
In a Cut essay published earlier this week, Tisdale French, 40, recalled feeling frozen out of her mom friend group, noting missed invitations and “high-school” behavior. She never identified anyone, but fans matched past Instagram photos that also showed Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, and Meghan Trainor.
Ford admitted she has met Tisdale French separately and found her “so lovely,” but stressed she has no insider knowledge of the group rift.
> “I don’t know what happened… but I do know two of those women really well.”
Celebrity Husbands React
The day after the essay dropped:
- Matthew Koma (Duff’s husband) mocked Tisdale French on Instagram, photoshopping himself onto her Cut shoot and calling her “the most self-obsessed tone-deaf person on earth.”
- Daryl Sabara (Trainor’s husband) told TMZ there’s “no drama over here,” adding he and Meghan Trainor are focused on sons Riley, 4½, and Barry, 2.
Trainor herself posted a clip typing to her new single Still Don’t Care, captioning it, “Me finding out about the apparent mom group drama.”
Key Takeaways
- Ford vouches for Deenihan and Gott, saying they supported her through personal struggles
- Tisdale French described feeling excluded but never named the moms
- Celebrity spouses have jumped into the conversation with jokes and denials
- Ford believes better communication could have prevented the public fallout
Whether online chatter continues or fizzles, Ford hopes the focus shifts back to kindness among moms navigating parenthood in the public eye.
