Former Disney Channel star Anneliese van der Pol shed light on an awkward encounter with fellow alum Ashley Tisdale, years prior to the viral mom-group drama.
In a resurfaced interview from an episode of the Big Names podcast in 2023, van der Pol, 41, recalled an ‘uncomfortable’ interaction that took place while she was working as a waitress in New York City.Â
At the time, the That’s So Raven alum said she was juggling restaurant jobs at spots including Salvation Burger, Salvation Taco and Tavern on the Green.
When asked whether the High School Musical star was friendly, van der Pol hesitated to answer before detailing her experience serving Tisdale a meal.
‘I want to say she was lovely, but …’ she said, trailing off before taking a sip of her drink.
Rather than greeting her enthusiastically, van der Pol claimed Tisdale appeared visibly uneasy.Â
Former Disney Channel star Anneliese van der Pol shed light on an awkward encounter with fellow alum Ashley Tisdale, years prior to the viral mom-group drama
The reaction was so tense that van der Pol said she felt compelled to reassure her former Disney peer that everything was fine.
The Broadway performer added that the discomfort wasn’t limited to Tisdale alone. Â
She described feeling the weight of judgment from nearby diners who recognized her and seemed unsettled by seeing a former TV star working in food service.
Van der Pol said the experience was ‘gut-wrenching,’ but emphasized that she felt proud of the work she was doing.
‘I was actually really happy,’ she explained on the podcast, noting that the job offered stability and confidence outside the audition circuit. ‘I know when I clean a table or bring a meal that I can do that and there won’t be any mistakes.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Tisdale’s rep for comment, but has not heard back, at this time. Â
Van der Pol’s comments have come back to light after Tisdale made headlines over her candid essay for The Cut about leaving a ‘toxic’ mom group.
Although Tisdale’s representative denied that the essay targeted her high-profile circle, which includes Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff and Meghan Trainor, the situation quickly escalated online.
Van der Pol’s comments have come back to light after Tisdale made headlines over her candid essay for The Cut about leaving a ‘toxic’ mom group
Although Tisdale’s representative denied that the essay targeted her high-profile circle, which includes Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff and Meghan Trainor, the situation quickly escalated online
Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma, appeared to mock the essay by recreating its promotional graphic in a since-deleted social media post with a sharply worded headline that took aim at self-absorption within mom circles.
Meanwhile, Tisdale’s husband, Christopher French, also fueled speculation by reposting cryptic Instagram Stories about choosing when, or whether, to engage in drama.
While van der Pol has stayed silent on the recent controversy, her former Disney Channel co-star Christy Carlson Romano subtly acknowledged the situation on social media.
In an Instagram video posted on Monday, Romano joked about ‘minding my business,’ calling the unfolding ‘celeb mom drama’ wild to observe from the outside.
While van der Pol has stayed silent on the recent controversy, her former Disney Channel co-star Christy Carlson Romano subtly acknowledged the situation on social media
Tisdale previously raved about her ‘village of moms’ after welcoming her first daughter Jupiter in 2021.Â
Ashley, who also shares a 16-month-old son Emerson with her composer husband Christopher French, joined the mom group created by longtime friend Duff, with the women sharing vacations, baby classes and playdates over the past four years.
However, Tisdale recently wrote about ‘breaking up with my toxic mom group,’ explaining she began to feel excluded during vulnerable postpartum months.
Expanding on a November 2025 post for her blog ByAshleyFrench, she later penned an article for The Cut, though she did not name any of the women involved.
She wrote that she started noticing she wasn’t invited to certain gatherings, which she later saw posted on Instagram.
Tisdale previously raved about her ‘village of moms’ after welcoming her first daughter Jupiter in 2021
‘It took me back to an unpleasant but familiar feeling I thought I’d left behind years ago,’ she wrote.
‘Here I was sitting alone one night after getting my daughter to bed thinking Maybe I’m not cool enough? All of a sudden I was in high school again, feeling totally lost as to what I was doing ‘wrong’ to be left out.’
She said she ultimately texted the group after being excluded once again, writing: ‘This is too high school for me and I don’t want to take part in it anymore.’
‘To be clear I have never considered the moms to be bad people (maybe one),’ Tisdale added. ‘But I do think our group dynamic stopped being healthy and positive – for me anyway.’
While the actress has not publicly identified who she was referring to, fans noticed that the article arrived shortly after she unfollowed both Moore and Duff on Instagram.
