HIlary Duff detailed losing friends months before Ashley Tisdale drama

Hilary Duff spoke about saying goodbye to friendships that no longer serve him months before his Disney Channel counterpart, Ashley Tisdalewrote in a personal essay about leaving her group of “toxic” friends.

Hilary Duff, who rose to fame through her role on the sitcom “Lizzie McGuire,” spoke with Jake Shane on a November episode of his podcast “Therapuss” about the difficulty in trusting people from a young age. Later in the conversation, the “Younger” star detailed his “talent” for detecting a person’s character almost instantly.

“I’ve always had a very high evaluation of people. I think it’s like a little talent that I have. I have very good friends and it doesn’t take me long to discover someone or just realize that someone is not for me,” Duff, 38, said in the previous episode, according to Us every week.

The singer and actress also explained that growing up, she wasn’t surrounded by many other people in the public eye, believing it was healthy for her to not “go out to clubs with other teen stars and stuff.”

As the episode continued, Shane pressed Duff on the relationships within her mom group, to which Duff described herself as the “mom” of the circle. “I think a lot of us hold that space for each other, to the point where we might have problems, but I’m just very direct. Maybe a little too much sometimes,” she said, revealing that she’s not a fan of conflict. “It’s driving me crazy. It’s infiltrating every aspect of my life, so I must like deal with my shit.”

According to Duff, dealing with “friendship breakups” as an adult can be as painful as romantic breakups. However, the “How I Met Your Father” singer revealed that every once in a while she has to “clean up her friend.” She added: “It’s good to edit. But you feel like a bad person when you do it.”

Continuing, Duff revealed that having difficult conversations with friends about expectations after a difficult time can be difficult, calling it “overwhelming.”

“I had to do it several times,” she said. “I always want my side of the street to be clean. See what I mean? I don’t want anyone to feel bad about my actions. I’d rather have a conversation about that.”

Duff’s conversation with Shane in November resurfaced at an interesting time, as Duff’s colleague at Disney, Ashley Tisdale, wrote a personal essay for “The Cut” about leaving her “toxic” group of mom friends, which included Duff and Mandy Moore.

In the essayTisdale revealed that she ultimately broke up with her group of celebrity mom friends because it seemed too “high school” for her.

“Motherhood has enough challenges without having to wonder if the people around you are on your side,” she added. “You deserve to experience motherhood with people who, you know, truly love you. And if you have to wonder if that’s the case, here’s the hard-earned lesson I hope you take to heart: This isn’t the group for you. Even if it seems like they’re having a better time on Instagram.”

According to a previous report from The explosionDuff made headlines in late 2025 after releasing her first single, “Mature,” in over a decade. She teased the single online, writing, “I’m so happy it’s finally yours to hear. I’ve kept this one quiet for too long.”