1/8/2026

The comedian said that the situation represents "another reason not to have children."

Chelsea Handler at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards held at the Barker Hangar on Jan. 4, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. JC Olivera/Variety

Chelsea Handler has shared her thoughts on the internet’s favorite subject of the week: Ashley Tisdale‘s op-ed about a “toxic” group of moms and whether Hilary Duff is one of them.

In a clip from SiriusXM’s Page Six Radio posted Wednesday (Jan. 7), the comedian asked for the hosts to “fill me in” on the rumored drama before giving her two cents. As Handler learned in real time, it all started when the High School Musical star published an essay on The Cut about ending her friendships with a group of fellow working mothers whom she felt constantly excluded her, after which Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma, fanned the flames of the rumor that his wife may be part of said group by spoofing the piece on his Instagram Story.

“So they’re mean girls to Ashley Tisdale? OK,” Handler quipped wryly. “I like when Hilary Duff is in a story. I’m not sure why.”

Noting that Tisdale “sounds like she needs to read Mel Robbins’ book Let Them,” Handler said, “I’ve never been part of a mom group — it sounds awful, you know?”

“That’s another reason not to have children, to have to deal with that s–t,” she continued. “You’re out of school, you’re a mother, and then you have to deal with that dynamic and being excluded again? As an adult woman? No thank you!”

In her essay — which went live on New Year’s Day under Tisdale’s married name, Ashley French — the singer recalled how she initially took comfort in the support network of her fellow mothers before later “breaking up” with them due to how left out she repeatedly felt.

“Even though it had been decades since tenth grade, the experience of being left out felt so similar,” wrote Tisdale, who shares two kids with husband Christopher French. “I knew that I had to speak up for myself, just like I would want my daughters to do. So that’s exactly what I texted to the group after being left out from yet another group hang: ‘This is too high school for me and I don’t want to take part in it anymore.’”

Shortly after the article was published, fans found old photos of Tisdale hanging out with Duff, as well as Mandy Moore and Meghan Trainor, leading many to assume that they were all part of the “toxic” mom group in question. Though a rep for Tisdale denied to that the actress had written the essay about any of them, the alum’s husband stoked the flames by posting a parody version of the piece with the faux headline, “When You’re The Most Self Obsessed Tone Deaf Person On Earth, Other Moms Tend To Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers.”