An essay Ashley Tisdale published in The Cut earlier this year set off a tabloid frenzy. Now it is becoming a Netflix show.
The former High School Musical and Suite Life of Zack and Cody star is developing a dark comedy series called Toxic Moms with writer Sabrina Jalees and comedian Ali Wong, according to Rolling Stone, citing Deadline. Jalees, who has worked on Mating Season and Search Party, will write the show and executive produce alongside Tisdale and Wong. If the project goes to series, Wong may also direct.
Deadline describes the show as a dark half-hour comedy about a sleep-deprived new mom who gets drawn into a clique of cool, wealthy mothers, and asks the question of how far someone would go to taste community in the isolation of new motherhood.
The premise closely mirrors Tisdale's original essay, titled "Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group," which she published in The Cut. In it, she described finding a group of mothers who were building brands, running companies, and launching creative projects, only to later find herself iced out of group gatherings and seated in unfavorable spots at dinner. The article spread quickly online, with readers attempting to identify who the other members of the group might be. Names that circulated included Hilary Duff, Meghan Trainor, and Mandy Moore, among others.
When news broke that the show had landed at Netflix, Tisdale reposted Deadline's article on her Instagram and tagged Wong and Jalees with a brief caption: "I guess we can all be a little toxic."
