Ashley Tisdale is dropping her stage name for Ashley French

Ashley Tisdale is embracing a new chapter in her life, she has announced that she will now go by Ashley French in public, formally adopting her married surname from her husband Christopher French. The decision comes as she launches her personal lifestyle website, By Ashley French, a space where she plans to share more intimately about her life, her family and her values now that she is in her forties.

In a video shared on her TikTok and Instagram, Tisdale explained that, while she has used the name French at home for years, she never publicly announced the change. She said she felt it was time for people to “know me for me, not just a character or a celebrity.” Her Instagram display name has now changed to Ashley French, while her handle blends both surnames: @AshleyTisdaleFrench.

Tisdale’s decision is closely tied to her new website, By Ashley French, which she launched in October. On the site’s About page, she writes that this platform is “an introduction to who I am now”, a version of herself grounded in parenthood, entrepreneurship and wellness. She notes that as she’s grown, she craves “less noise, fewer steps, softer mornings and spaces that feel like they can exhale.”

Part of this shift is also a move away from the constant feedback loop of social media. Tisdale shared that she’s grown weary of Instagram’s toxicity and uncertainty, “you don’t know what’s real, what’s a bot,” she said, and wanted a more authentic, calm platform to share her thoughts and experiences.

This change aligns with her work in wellness. Tisdale earlier founded a wellness and self-care brand called Frenshe, which underscores her long-standing connection to the French name. Through By Ashley French, she plans to document not just her parenting journey, she is a mother to two daughters, Jupiter and Emerson, but also the little rituals and inspirations that make her life feel more meaningful.

Some fans have already picked up on the name change, noting that “French is her husband’s last name.” Others have reacted with surprise, especially as Tisdale has long been identified with her acting career. But for her, this feels like a reclamation of her identity, not the ‘Sharpay Evans’ everyone remembers, but Ashley French, the woman, mother and creator she has become.