Tisdale and French with their dog Ziggy Stardust, who has more Instagram followers than most people. Image by Getty Images

By Irene Katz Connelly September 17, 2020

Ashley Tisdale has disobeyed her own erstwhile advice and shaken up the status quo: the “High School Musical” star, 35, is pregnant with her first child.

Tisdale broke the news through the humble medium that scores of celebrities have been forced to adopt since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic: a simple Instagram post staged in her palm tree-filled backyard. In the snapshot, which Tisdale posted Thursday morning, the actress poses in a nap dress while cradling the kind of barely-there bump that would indicate a large meal for a normal person but, in the case of a celebrity, signifies an advanced pregnancy.

Most famous for her role as “High School Musical’s” trauma-inducing drama queen Sharpay, Tisdale is currently rebranding herself as a wellness guru (because who isn’t?) and recently launched Frenshe, a blog that interviews influencers about their work-life balance and teaches you how to remove toxins from your home by buying expensive shampoos.

But who’s the baby daddy? Tisdale has been married to her husband, musician and composer Christopher French, for six years. French used to be the frontman for the now-defunct band Annie Automatic, and he used to have side bangs. Now, the Schmooze is happy to report, he sports the gently tousled crew cut of a JCrew model and seems to spend most of his time composing sweet Instagram posts about his wife.

By the looks of it, Tisdale and French are approaching parenthood with the enthusiastic support of friends — and former flames. Former “High School Musical” co-star Vanessa Hudgens gushed that the pregnancy reveal was “just the freaking cutest,” and even actress Haley Cuoco, who dated French for a year, chimed in with congratulations in the comments section.

Irene Katz Connelly is an editorial fellow at the Forward. You can contact her at connelly@forward.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katz_conn.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount