Hilary Duff Breaks Down Over Sister Estrangement in Emotional Podcast Interview
Hilary Duff became visibly emotional during a candid conversation about her strained relationship with sister Haylie Duff on the latest episode of Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast. The 38-year-old actress and singer, who was promoting her new album Luck... or Something, opened up about the painful family rift that has left the sisters not speaking for years.
Raw Emotions Surface During Song Discussion
After Shetty read lyrics from Duff's song We Don't Talk, which addresses the sisters' fractured relationship, the pop star elaborated on its deeply personal meaning. 'My sister and I don't speak,' she stated plainly as her eyes welled up with tears. 'And I think in my adulthood I've come across more and more people that are having this experience.'
Wiping away tears, Duff described the estrangement from her sibling as 'a very raw part of my existence' and added, 'I hope it's not forever, but it's for right now.' She explained that despite the pain of sharing such personal details, she felt compelled to address her experiences honestly on her first album in a decade.
Lyrics Reveal Depth of Family Rift
The emotional track includes poignant lyrics that highlight the sisters' shared history and current distance: 'We come from the same home, the same blood / a different combination but the same lock / People ask me how you're doing / I wanna say amazing / But the truth is that I don't know / What I always end up saying is how we don't talk.'
Duff emphasized her commitment to authenticity in her songwriting: 'That's my truth,' she told Shetty. 'And I really worked hard to lyrically make sure that I'm just speaking about my experience, you know?'
Public Speculation and Confirmation
The sisters, once close collaborators on projects like the 2006 film Material Girls, haven't been seen together publicly since 2019. Rumors of their strained relationship intensified when Haylie recently shared an article about leaving a 'toxic mom group' that reportedly included Hilary, Mandy Moore, and Meghan Trainor.
After We Don't Talk was released, speculation mounted that the song targeted Haylie, which Hilary confirmed on CBS Mornings: 'It's definitely about my sister,' she admitted. 'And just absolutely the most lonely part of my existence is not having my sister in my life at the moment.'
Uncertain Future for Sister Relationship
Duff confessed uncertainty about whether the song would help mend their relationship: 'I'm not sure that it will 'help' repair my relationship with Haylie and that 'I don't know if she'll hear it. I don't know how she'll react to it. But it is a really personal part of my life that doesn't get to stay personal.'
She revealed she had struggled with including such intimate material on her album before deciding: 'As painful as it feels to share, when I decided to make this record, I could only talk about the things that I've gone through. Like there would be no purpose to make a record after 10 years than to face, you know, what it's been like.'
Broader Family Dynamics Discussed
Elsewhere in the podcast conversation, the former child star briefly addressed her relationship with father Robert Duff, revealing they don't speak 'very often' and lack a substantial connection. Her parents divorced in 2008 after two decades of marriage.
'My dad and I don't really have much of a relationship and we don't speak very often. It's hard because I think there's not a whole bunch of answers,' she divulged. 'It's really hard, I think, if a family breaks apart very dramatically.'
Personal Growth and Current Life
Duff, who was married to former NHL star Mike Comrie from 2010-2016 and shares 13-year-old son Luca with him, reflected on learning from her parents' contentious breakup. 'When it came for me getting divorced, I was like, 'I'm not going to have that,'' she said about maintaining family harmony.
'We're going to do holidays together as much as we can. Not that it was always easy, but it felt way easier than the alternative,' the singer noted about co-parenting with her ex-husband.
She has since married musician Matthew Koma in 2019, with whom she shares daughters Banks (7), Mae (5), and Townes (2). Koma co-wrote and executive produced her new album, adding another layer of personal connection to the musical project that has prompted such emotional revelations about family relationships.
