Call Her Daddy: Hilary Duff – Life & Love After Lizzie (Feb 25, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this dynamic and intimate episode of Call Her Daddy, host Alex Cooper sits down with Hilary Duff to trace her journey from beloved child star to self-assured artist, mother of four, and pop culture icon returning with new music after a decade away from the recording studio. Together, they dive into Hilary's personal growth, the pressures of fame, motherhood, resilience after public relationships and divorce, navigating female identity, dealing with media narratives, and rediscovering her voice as both a woman and creative force. The conversation is rich with nostalgia, candid confessions, memorable Hollywood anecdotes, and empowering insights for women at all stages of life.

Hilary’s Comeback & “Victory Lap” (01:20-05:14)

• The Hilary Duff Renaissance:
  Hilary discusses the overwhelming yet positive reception to her return to music and the limelight, after 10 years away from the industry:

  • "I really didn't realize it was such an appetite. And, like, I'm–you never know how it's gonna go. Like, I really took a huge break, and the...first steps have been like a dream." (01:54)
  • She describes calling this new era her "victory lap" with her husband: "It's really cool to be at this stage of my life and just have ownership over myself...to get to have the opportunity to go back and, like, celebrate things that I didn’t feel like were mine anymore." (03:13)

• Finding Ownership in Nostalgia:
  Performing old songs feels newly empowering, not embarrassing:

  • "Now I'm like, this is... I get to be a part of it, and it’s way more fun." (05:15)

Child Star Reflections: Lizzie McGuire & Growing Up Famous (06:00-20:36)

• Dealing with Public Memory:
  On everyone being able to recall every “awkward” stage of her life:

  • "To grow up and have everybody recall all your chapters is a wild experience." (05:44)

• Sustaining a Decades-Long Career:
  Hilary reflects on the pressure of being known for a single massive role and the insecurities that come with it:

  • "Do people love me or do they love that character?...You just feel like, wow, will I ever do anything that will resonate with someone the same?" (06:50)

• ‘Younger’ as a Career Highlight:
  "That was a huge part of my—something that I said yes to. That was really scary because I had to, like, be in New York and be away from my child and... a huge growth period." (08:11)

• Landing Lizzie Against the Odds:
  After being fired from an early acting job for not being a twin, she almost didn’t audition for Lizzie:

  • "I was not prepared...Robin Lippins, the casting director, was like, you didn’t even look at this. And I was like, correct." (12:24)
  • Ultimately, her wacky charm landed her the role.

• Core Memories of Sudden Fame:
  Hilary describes being mobbed at the mall and hidden in a closet by staff for safety (15:50).

• Home Life & Staying Grounded:
  She credits her mother’s discipline for keeping her “normal” at home despite early fame:

  • "She had this weird combination of, like, she trusted us, but she was like, you don’t get special treatment because you're on a TV show." (17:07)

• Escaping “Major Pitfalls”
  On avoiding the usual child star spiral:

  • "People look at me and think, like, oh, she's had it easy, maybe. And I definitely have not had it easy, but I feel okay. I did not, like, go crazy." (18:07)
  • “This industry is like really fucking hard...give myself credit for how I navigated it.” (18:08)

• Therapy & Outlets:
  Explains need for normalcy and relying on therapy and friends/boyfriends as reprieve from the chaos (19:21).

Juicy Hollywood Anecdotes & Iconic Roles (20:36-32:03)

• Childhood Feuds & “Freaky Friday” Premiere:
  Admits to intentionally crashing Lindsay Lohan’s event, reminisces on their "childhood feud":

  • "That was, like, my childhood feud...Lindsay came up to me at a club once and was like, are we good? And I was like, we’re good. She was like, let's take a shot." (21:04)

• Military Training for Cadet Kelly:

  • "I think I could still do, like, a rifle...it was really intense." (21:56)

• Gossip Girl Memories:
  Hilary joins Gossip Girl season 3, shares getting “the shaft” in the show's infamous threesome scene:

  • “I need to rewatch this...wasn’t I, like, a famous actor?” (24:35)

• Dating Aaron Carter & Millennial Nostalgia:
  Sets the record straight on behind-the-scenes relationships and the lack of social media documentation at the time:

  • “Texting was, like, pushing three buttons T9 to get the, like...If you sent a paragraph, you were in love with someone.” (28:04)

Motherhood: The Joy and the Challenges (34:53-43:40)

• Early Marriage & Young Motherhood:
  Married young, became a mom at 24:

  • "I was always, like, a relationship girl...I always knew I was gonna be a young mom. I always wanted to be a mom." (34:53)

• Friendship Dynamics:
  Being a young mom created distance from friends in different life stages:

  • "All the physical changes were a big deal for me...I think you expect everyone to get it when you have a baby and no one gets it." (37:19)

• Body Image & Public Scrutiny:
  On dealing with “post-baby bod” tabloid culture:

  • "Babe, I'm not debuting anything. You're taking a picture of me at a private house...it's horrendous." (40:18)
  • She notes, "You'd look different, you know, forever...the pressure to feel like a natural mother, like, is a lot." (41:53)

• Nursing Struggles:
  On the pain of struggling with breastfeeding:

  • "I still could cry thinking about just not being able to be...everything for your kid because you grow them and you birth them, and they're yours." (42:13)

Divorce, Healing, and Choosing Herself (44:22-51:43)

• Navigating Divorce Young, with a Toddler:

  • "We just...it wasn't working anymore. That was a really tough call because we had not even a two year old kid...the one thing that was really hard about it was like processing that it was happening." (44:46)
  • Handling the process under public scrutiny: "TMZ literally has like an office at the LA courthouse...within 50 minutes they're reporting." (46:56)

• Therapy & Survival:

  • "One, you have to have a therapist. You have to be talking. You have to be processing the feelings, and you have to stand up for yourself...your kids, your kids are gonna be okay." (49:50)

• Guilt & Motherhood:

  • "Once you become a mom, your guilt becomes so thick...but everything for the family and everything for your kid." (51:03)

Love After Heartbreak & Building a New Family (52:11-64:30)

• Meeting Matthew Koma (her now husband):

  • "We got set up from my A&R person...our meeting was, like, two hours long. I know. And then I was like, oh, my God, I've got to, like, got a child at home." (52:20)

• The Realities of Second Chances:

  • Details on-off story, breakups and makeups, growth and learning to trust:
    • "Honestly, I think what worked was me just trusting him. And that's just time, really. A lot of time...he just kept showing up over and over." (61:32)
    • Quote: "I was just so nice. That's not really a thing." – Hilary on her initial skepticism about Matt (54:56)

• Blended Family Adventures:

  • "Once I finally introduced him to Luca, he, I think it was around Halloween and he like showed up as like head to toe Ninja Turtle." (62:59)

Adult Relationships, Sexuality & Creative Freedom (66:56-77:48)

• Creating the Song “Roommates” with Matt:

  • "He doesn’t shy away from, like, heavy topics…The opening line of the song is like, 'I can barely mention it without causing some ego trauma.' And it’s like, he’s a man, and they all are." (66:56)
  • On navigating intimacy, vulnerability, and keeping passion alive:
    • "Communicating without blame is like a really, it’s like an art form." (69:32)
    • Matt’s mom’s advice: "Put a post-it up...you gotta ask for what you need." (71:19)

• Internet Backlash: Sex, Porn, and Breaking the Good Girl Mold:

  • On fans' shock at her discussing masturbation and porn in her new lyrics:
    • "One of the craziest comments that I saw was like, 'and do you do that in front of your children?' And I was like, no. What? Are you okay?" (72:04)
    • "I’m not making music for my kids. I’m making music for myself and making music for people like myself." (74:16)
    • "I was, like, coined the good girl…and just having to label someone and then do everything they could to try to poke holes in that label..." (75:31)

Family, Healing Old Wounds & Setting the Record Straight (77:48-85:58)

• Vulnerable Songwriting:

  • On writing about estrangement and pain in her new album:
    • "It’s never easy to see people speculating on your life for clicks, but it's easier to tune the noise out with having the household that I have." (79:35)
    • "My purpose…was for myself...you always hope for something to be healthy again...but I don’t know if my…vulnerability will, you know, be met with openness or anger..." (82:01)

• Addressing Internet Drama – The “Toxic Mom Group” Article:

  • “I just was like, whoa, it sucks to read something that’s, like, not true. And it sucks on behalf of, like, six women in all of their lives.” (84:02)
  • Regarding her husband Matt’s fierce public defense:
    • "Honestly, everything he does makes me laugh...I also don’t censor him…he is so, like, fierce for me, and, like, I love him for that." (85:07)

Looking Forward, Womanhood, and True “Having It All” (86:18–94:49)

• Future Dreams:

  • Visualizes a big Thanksgiving table:
    • "Like, my kids have their, like, boyfriend or girlfriend there or, like, bestie...the table's full...everyone's there." (86:36)
  • Is open to another Lizzie reboot – “maybe at 55 or 60.” (88:10)

• Advice on Working Mom Guilt & False Perfection:

  • "I do hope that it inspires moms to get outside of their household a little bit and, like, find the thing that they love if they’ve lost it. I think it’s so important...for them to have wins and losses out in the world alone that you’re not privy for." (89:04)
  • Breaks the myth that anyone can “do it all alone”:
    • "I have nannies and an assistant and, like, hair, makeup people...I have so much help, but it’s like, still so much…You don’t see what goes on behind the scenes." (91:12)
    • "You can try and you can have a lot of the things that you want, but you’re going to miss stuff, you know, and you’re gonna have to make choices." (91:12)

Core Message to Fans & Final Thoughts (93:32–95:14)

• Love Letter to Her Supporters:
  • "I'm eternally grateful for them. I would not have a music career without them…they were rabid for me and my music...I love her now, too, and I connect, and I get it." (93:32)
  • "I just needed, like, a second to, like, live some life and, like, they lived a whole bunch of life and now we get to, like, connect as adults and talk about what the hell that’s like." (94:49)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "You gotta fight for yourself. And it doesn’t matter that you have kids...you just have to show them that, like, you also matter." – (49:50)
• "I was coined the good girl...But I’m also just normal, doing all the normal things that teenagers are doing..." – (75:31)
• (On fans shocked about sexual lyrics): "No. What? Are you okay? No. But guess what? Like, the song is meant to be polarizing." – (72:04)
• "I never want them to feel guilty for growing up and, like, leaving me behind. I want to be okay with that." – (89:04)
• "You just can’t have it all. You can try, but you’re gonna miss stuff, and you’re gonna have to make choices." – (91:12)

Key Takeaways

• Resilience and Reinvention: Hilary’s journey is marked by continual self-acceptance, learning, and the confidence to take ownership of all her chapters—from Lizzie to adult creative, mother, and wife.
• Honesty in Women’s Stories: Hilary is candid about the challenges of balancing work, motherhood, love, and self-image—dispelling myths of effortless perfection.
• Sexual Agency & Evolving Identity: She breaks out of the “good girl” mold, reclaiming her story and voice on her own terms, musically, personally, and publicly.
• Support Is Everything: She credits her support network and professional help (therapists, family, nannies, personal team) for enabling her to pursue her dreams.
• Empowerment & Sisterhood: Hilary hopes her journey encourages other women, especially moms, to reconnect with their passions outside the home, openly discuss struggles, and pursue meaningful, authentic lives.

For Further Listening

• Start the ‘Hilary Renaissance’ with her new album
• Revisit her roles in ‘Lizzie McGuire,’ ‘Younger,’ and ‘Gossip Girl’
• For more interviews exploring the realities of womanhood and fame, check out recent “Call Her Daddy” episodes

This summary captures the spirit, highlights, and lessons of the episode for fans, those fascinated by the realities behind celebrity, and any woman navigating identity, relationships, and ambition in adulthood.