Ashley Tisdale Once Had to Explain a Comment She Made Following Charlie Kirk's Death

It's crazy to think that Ashley Tisdale has been in the public eye since 2005, though her career in entertainment began in 1988 at the age of 3. That's when Ashley was discovered at a New Jersey mall by the man who would later become her manager. Not many people know this, but the mall-to-child star pipeline was very robust in the 1980s. This is a strong argument to bring mall culture back.

It didn't take long for Ashley to become part of the Disney family when she joined the cast of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Her breakout role was as Sharpay Evans in the Disney Channel film High School Musical. From there, Ashley dabbled in music and other projects, but she just couldn't seem to break through beyond those high school days. Then, in September 2025, Ashley faced some backlash following comments she made about Charlie Kirk's death. Here's what we know.

In an Instagram Story that was captured by The Tab, Ashley appeared to comment on how different the world felt following the Sept. 11 attacks. Kirk was assassinated the day before the 24th anniversary of 9/11. "Where we were once united and grieving together as a country," wrote Ashley, "today we see someone die and blame his politics and opinions."

Ashley went on to say, "Everyone in that building had different views and opinions; when we stop caring about loss of life, we are done." It's unclear if the building is referencing 9/11 or Kirk's murder, which happened outside at Utah Valley University.

Following criticism of this statement, Ashley posted another Story to Instagram. "It shouldn't be controversial to say this," said the High School Musical alum, "but even when we disagree or find someone's views offensive, violence is never the answer." She continued, "And to be clear, I stand for equal rights for everyone: women's rights, voting rights, LGBTQ Plus rights." Ashley also wrote that she supports reproductive rights and common-sense gun laws.

In January 2026, Ashley penned an essay for The Cut about her decision to break up with a "toxic mom group." It all came down to feeling intentionally left out of gatherings organized by the mom group. In the end, Ashley felt like the dynamic of the group was no longer "healthy and positive" for her.

Rumors immediately began swirling online as social media sleuths tried to figure out who was in the group, and why might they not include Ashley in their activities. One theory involved Ashley's comments about Kirk and the possibility that she was a conservative, while the other moms might be liberals.

This notion was shut down by one of Ashley's reps, who told TMZ the essay was turning into clickbait when it was meant to "spotlight her experience with a toxic mom group." Regarding her political views, the rep assured the outlet that Ashley is a registered Democrat.