Untangling Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff's Fractured Relationship

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Hilary Duff Makes Rare Comment on "Complicated" Relationship With Estranged Sister Haylie Duff

If the key to surviving the early years of motherhood is finding that proverbial village, the one Hilary Duff had built with older sister Haylie Duff was certainly what dreams were made of. 

Though the Lizzie McGuire star is two years younger than her food blogger sis, she was the one dishing out guidance when Haylie welcomed her oldest, daughter Ryan, with fiancé Matt Rosenberg in May 2015. 

Not that the 40-year-old needed much help finding the perfect recipe. 

"She's a really natural mom," Hilary told E! News that June while promoting her Breathe In. Breathe Out. album. "She has the baby on a schedule already and she's like four-weeks-old."

As for Hilary's then-3-year-old son Luca (with ex-husband Mike Comrie), "He can be really sweet with her," the musician detailed to E! months later. Eager to help soothe Ryan's tears during one meltdown, Hilary continued, "He got his lovey that is really important to him and he laid it on her and was like, 'There. This will make her feel better.'"

If only there were a straightforward solution to what currently ails them. 

Because a full decade later, the 38-year-old is back with a new album—her Feb. 20 release luck... or something—but no further anecdotes about Haylie's life with daughters Ryan, 10, and Lulu, 7. 

Instead, she has a disc full of raw, incredibly personal lyrics. 

"I just felt really ready to share," the 38-year-old explained to Glamour of digging deep as she penned much of the album alongside songwriter husband Matthew Koma, dad to her daughters Banks, 7, Mae, 4, and Townes, 21 months. "One, I wanted to stretch creatively, and two, I wanted to make something that I could connect with people again on the level of who I am now. I felt like people have definitely gone through some of the similar large strokes that I have in the past 10 to 15 years."

Among the incredibly common themes: Her family drama, Hilary getting into the fallout of her parents Bob Duff and Susan Duff's messy 2008 divorce on "The Optimist," writing, "I wish I could sleep on planes, and that my father would really love me." 

And on "We Don't Talk," she appears to delve into her long-rumored rift with Haylie, labeling it an "emotional eviction." 

Rich Polk/Getty Images for Words with Friends 2

Frankly, she explained to Glamour, she just felt it was time for her to come clean. 

"That's my family," Hilary detailed. "Those are the people that affect you the most, take up the most space naturally as a human who’s born into something."

However, she continued, "Just because you’re born into a family doesn’t mean that it always stays together. You can only control your side and your street."

And theirs was a particularly twisty road.

"I've had a very complicated life," Hilary acknowledged, "and my parents had a very complicated thing. I know it’s not rare, and I think it goes back to the theme of, Why share now? I guess I just felt ready.”

And while Hilary isn't going to so far as the reveal the why behind her fractured relationship with Haylie, it could be because she's entirely clear herself. 

"If it’s ’cause you’re jealous / God knows I would sell it all, then break you off the bigger half," she sings in "We Don't Talk," though she's open to hearing Haylie's side. 

"Let's have it out / I’ll hear you out, you’ll hear me out on the couch," the track continues. "Get back to how we were as kids / Let’s break it down / So sick of being so sad about / How we don’t talk and you won’t talk about it."

Because, for years, the siblings were more than willing to speak on their close-knit bond. 

"It's pretty awesome," Haylie told People in 2015 of raising having the chance to raise their children alongside one another. "It was something that we’ve wanted since we were little—to one day have kids together—so we’re pretty pumped."

As for any tips Hilary had passed along, "It hasn’t been advice," the 7th Heaven alum stressed. "She’s been there to support me. Whether I just want to cry for a minute or I just need her to hold [Ryan] for a second or whatever it is, she’s just there to support me in any way she can. I think that’s probably been the most important thing for me so far."

But, now, as Hilary's latest track suggests, well, they don't talk. 

"We come from the same home, the same blood / A different combination, but the same mom," the Younger star sings. "People ask me how you’re doing, I wanna say amazing / But the truth is that I don’t know."

Though it would have been hard for Hilary—who hasn't been publicly photographed with her sister since 2019—to miss the implication of Haylie enjoying a Jan. 27 outing with Ashley Tisdale French mere weeks after the Frenshe founder wrote an essay about leaving her “toxic” mom friend group, a squad widely assumed to include Hilary. 

Haylie Duff/Instagram

And while Hilary hasn't waded into the mom drama talk, her husband certainly wasn't afraid to dive in, posting a fake magazine cover to his Instagram stories with the headline, "When You’re The Most Self Obsessed Tone Deaf Person On Earth, Other Moms Tend To Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers: A Mom Group Tell All Through A Father’s Eyes."

Hilary, meanwhile, is content to let her lyrics do the talking. 

Part of her impetus for releasing new music, she explained to Rolling Stone in November, was that she was "ready to fill in the blanks and share with people and connect with them on the level of now." 

The way she sees it, Hilary continued, she and the fans who've been tracking her world since her teens "have gone through a lot of the same things whether that’s complicated relationships, anxiety, raising kids, divorces, trying to find yourself in adulthood [or] family drama."

Hey now, hey now, while it's not exactly the stuff of dreams, it is quite real. 

And she's hardly the first celebrity to come clean about her drama with another star. Keep reading to see who else has let the rain fall down. 

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Tan France vs. Bobby Berk

Bobby (pictured second from left) addressed rumors of a falling out with Tan (middle) in January 2024, two months after he announced his exit from Queer Eye after eight seasons.

"I want people to know that Tan and I—we will be fine," he told Vanity Fair. "There was a situation, and that's between Tan and I, and it has nothing to do with the show. It was something personal that had been brewing—and nothing romantic, just to clarify that."

In March 2024, Tan responded to allegations that he had campaigned to replace Bobby on Queer Eye with his friend Jeremiah Brent.

"Netflix and the production companies did a full-on casting. I didn't put my friend up for the job. They ended up getting it because they were the best person for the job," he said on Instagram. "But I didn't get them hired by getting rid of somebody else."

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Sharon Osbourne vs. Ashton Kutcher

In September 2023, while playing a game called Stir the Pot with her daughter Kelly Osbourne on E! News, Sharon said the That '70s Show alum was the rudest celebrity she had ever met, branding him, a "rude, rude, rude, rude little boy" and a "dastardly little thing."

He did not respond to her remarks publicly.

Five years prior, Sharon told Larry King that when Ashton appeared on The Talk in 2014, he had an "attitude" after she got his name wrong.

"He goes, 'What are you, what have you done in this industry?'" she recalled. "And I was like, 'Kid, don't start with me, because I'm gonna eat you up and s--t you out.' So I was just like, 'You don't know what you're dealing with, kid.'"

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Maren Morris & Cassadee Pope vs. Brittany Aldean

In August 2022, Cassadee and Maren traded harsh words with Brittany, wife of fellow country star Jason Aldean, after she shared an Instagram Reel of herself applying makeup on Aug. 23, writing, "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life."

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JoJo Siwa vs. Candace Cameron Bure

During a 2022 TikTok challenge, JoJo Siwa described Candace Cameron Bure as the "rudest" celebrity, later explaining that she felt snubbed when Bure once refused to take a picture with her on a red carpet. Shortly after the dig, however, the Full House alum apologized: "I kind of broke your 11-year-old heart. I didn't take a picture with you. Ugh! I feel crummy, I feel—JoJo, I'm so sorry."

The two made amends. But months later, Candace was asked if she expects the Great American Family network, of which she serves as chief creative officer, to feature same-sex couples as leads in holiday movies. She said no, adding, "I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core."

JoJo, who came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in 2021, wrote on Instagram that the actress' comment is "rude and hurtful to a whole community of people."

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Courtney Love vs. Olivia Rodrigo

Back in June 2021, Courtney Love accused Olivia Rodrigo of copying her band Hole's album cover for a promotional photo without giving credit. Olivia responded, "Love u and live through this sooooo much." Courtney then replied, "Olivia - you're welcome. My favorite florist is in Notting Hill, London! Dm me for deets! I look forward to reading your note [winking face emoji]."

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Henry Winkler vs. Tom Hanks

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the Happy Days actor was asked why he didn't get along with the Forrest Gump star on the set of the 1989 flick Turner & Hooch.

"I was directing that movie for 13 days and then I was called into [producer] Jeff Katzenberg's office and he said, 'You have everything with you? Go home,'" he said.

Winkler did, however, seem to get along with Hanks' four-legged co-star. "I got along great, great with that dog," he said. "Love that dog."

He also refused to admit if he's even seen the flick. 

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Heidi Montag vs. Lauren Conrad

"You know what you did!"

Fans of The Hills will remember that iconic line, delivered by Lauren on the season three premiere. Their feud began when Heidi started dating her now-husband Spencer Pratt, and hit its peak when Lauren accused Heidi and Spencer of starting a rumor that she had made a sex tape with then-boyfriend Jason Wahler.

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Dwayne Johnson vs. Tyrese Gibson

The costars reignited their ongoing feud in 2017 when Tyrese publicly called out Dwayne on Instagram after the Fast and Furious 9 release date was pushed back to April 2020. That same day, it was announced that a Fast and Furious spinoff starring Dwayne and Jason Statham would hit theaters in 2019. The following month, Tyrese threatened to quit Fast 9 if Dwayne was in the movie.

Tyrese then opened up about the feud, telling Van Lathan on The Red Pill podcast, "I have yet to talk to The Rock to this day, and we will have a conversation." He shared that he did have a chat with the former wrestler's producing partner, but not the actor himself.

"I found myself being the messenger on behalf of various people associated to the franchise, but stupid me was the only one who went public about those feelings, which is my own fault," Tyrese said. "It's not professional, it's not cool."

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Taylor Swift vs. Katy Perry

No more bad blood here.

Taylor and Katy had been in a feud for years, their rift even allegedly inspiring Taylor's song "Bad Blood." The drama, which reportedly started over a backup dancer and competing tours, came to an end after Perry sent Taylor a literal olive branch before her Reputation Tour kickoff.

"So I just got to my dressing room and found this actual olive branch," Taylor said in an Instagram video. "This mean so much."

Taylor captioned the video, "Thank you Katy."

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Kim Cattrall vs. Sarah Jessica Parker

Sex and the City costars Kim and SJP had dodged feud rumors for years. But they were reignited after Kim decided not to return for a third movie and made comments about her costar that raised eyebrows.

"What was your reaction to Kim Cattrall telling Piers Morgan that you were never friends just colleagues?" Andy Cohen asked SJP on a September 2017 episode of Watch What Happens Live.

As she explained, "Just...heartbroken. I mean that whole week, you and I spoke about it because I was just...I don't know I found it really upsetting because that's, you know, that's not the way I recall our experience."

"So...it's sad but I'm kind of...I don't know, I always think that what ties us together is this singular experience is the thing," she contined. "It was a professional experience but it became personal because it was years and years of our lives. So I'm hoping that that sort of eclipses anything that's been recently spoken. That many years spent doing something so special that people had a connection with is such a privileged."

And though they didn't film scenes together, Kim did make a small appearance on And Just Like That.

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Madonna vs. Elton John

The iconic singers have been feuding since 2004. While accepting the Classic Songwriter Award at the Q Awards that year, Elton said to attendees, "Madonna, best f--king live act? F--k off! Since when has lip-syncing been live? Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip-syncs in public on stage, when you pay like 75 quid to see them, should be shot."

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Shonda Rhimes vs. Katherine Heigl

The former Grey's Anatomy star sparked a feud with the series creator in 2008 when she removed her name from the Emmy Awards consideration. The actress stated that her reason for the move was because she wasn't "given the material to warrant a nomination."

Shonda later opened up about Katherine's decision during an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Oprah's Next Chapter in 2012. "On some level it stung and on some level I was not surprised," she said. "When people show you who they are, believe them. I carry that [mantra] with me a lot. It has served me well."

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Nicki Minaj vs. Cardi B

It was the New York Fashion Week fight heard 'round the world when Nicki and Cardi got into a heated altercation at the Harper's Bazaar Icon party. The following month, Cardi opened up about the catalyst for the fight with Nicki.

"For a while now she's been taking a lot of shots at me," Cardi said in W magazine's Art Issue. "I spoke to her twice before, and we came to an understanding. But she kept it going."

The real spark of the fight came when Cardi saw that Nicki had allegedly liked and then unliked a tweet about Cardi's parenting skills, which Nicki has denied.

"I was going to make millions off my Bruno Mars tour, and I sacrificed that to stay with my daughter," Cardi continued. "I love my daughter. I'm a good-ass f--king mom. So for somebody that don't have a child to like that comment? So many people want to say that party wasn't the time or the place, but I'm not going to catch another artist in the grocery store or down the block."

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Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift

Tension between Kanye and Taylor first started in 2009, when the "Stronger" rapper took the stage during her acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. Years later, the two would make up and even become friends, but that came to an end in 2016 after the release of his song "Famous," in which he name-checks the "End Game" singer.

In February 2025, one day before the Grammys, Kanye updated his Instagram to follow only Taylor. He added no further comment, and his fellow musician did not respond publicly to the move.

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Mariah Carey vs. Jennifer Lopez

"I don't know her."

Mariah and J.Lo's supposed feud started when the Queen of Christmas was asked to give her opinion on several singers during a 2003 German TV interview. When asked her opinion on Jennifer, she replied, "I don't know her."

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