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Hilary Duff’s tropical girls getaway has brought an old Hollywood friendship controversy back into the spotlight.
The 39-year-old actress and singer shared photos from a getaway to Mexico with longtime friends, including several shots of her wearing a bright yellow one-piece swimsuit on the beach.
In one photo, Duff posed on the sand holding a fresh coconut decorated with a flower, while wearing oversized sunglasses and a dark baseball cap. Her blonde hair was loosely pulled back as she smiled for the camera.
Another selfie showed the “Lizzie McGuire” star reclining on a bright pink lounge chair in the same swimsuit, shielding her face from the sun with one hand.
Duff also shared a group photo of eight women posing together on a wooden terrace overlooking the ocean at sunset with palm trees framing the backdrop.
Among the women on the getaway were actress Mandy Moore, celebrity chef Gaby Dalkin and makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan Fisher.
Duff also tagged friends Whitney Wagner Hartley, Amanda Lillywhite, Janice Gott and Haylee Christine in the Instagram post.
“The group chat made it to the jungle 🪶🌊🌴🌤️,” Duff captioned the carousel, tagging the One&Only Mandarina resort.
The luxury property is located along Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit coast, where the women enjoyed beach outings and spa treatments.
Another photo captured five women dressed in white spa robes, some holding drinks as they posed beneath towering palm trees.
In a separate photo, Duff posed in a light blue two-piece swimsuit while sitting on a stone ledge surrounded by greenery, her skin covered in what appeared to be a mud treatment.
The getaway came shortly after Duff celebrated her 39th birthday on Sept. 28.
But while the singer appeared to be enjoying some time away with friends, followers were quick to bring up a familiar name in the comments: Ashley Tisdale.
“I just know Ashley Tisdale is punching the air right now😂,” one person commented.
“Is this the toxic mom trip that made it out of the group chat?” another asked.
“Y’all forgot about Ashley Tisdale,” a third wrote.
Not everyone appreciated the renewed speculation.
“Ppl bringing up AT is kinda like adult bullying. Leave her/it alone,” one follower commented.
The remarks appeared to reference a controversy that erupted earlier this year after Tisdale published a personal essay about leaving what she described as a toxic group of mothers.
In the January essay for The Cut, “Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group,” the former “High School Musical” star described feeling increasingly excluded from gatherings with women she had once considered close friends.
“I remember being left out of a couple of group hangs, and I knew about them because Instagram made sure it fed me every single photo and Instagram Story,” she wrote.
Tisdale said the situation eventually prompted her to send a message explaining why she no longer wanted to participate.
“This is too high school for me, and I don’t want to take part in it anymore,” she recalled telling the group.
Although Tisdale did not identify the women in her essay, social media users quickly speculated that she was referring to Duff, Moore and other celebrity mothers with whom she had previously been photographed.
However, a representative for Tisdale denied that the essay was about Duff, Moore or Meghan Trainor, according to TMZ.
Duff later addressed the controversy during an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, telling host Alex Cooper that she was hurt by the speculation.
“I felt really sad. I honestly felt really sad,” Duff said.
“It sucks to read something that’s, like, not true, and it sucks on behalf of like six women in all of their lives,” she continued.
Duff also questioned the timing of the controversy, saying she “felt used” as she was experiencing a resurgence in her career.