The last few weeks have felt like a blur because I have been transported back to my pre-teen self with the sheer amount of Hilary Duff content hitting my feed. I’m not complaining because I have dreamed for days like this.

This week Hilary has, in one interview with Alex Cooper on Call Her Daddy, managed to both confirm the gossip that consumed a generation while also spilling plenty more tea on some recent low-stakes celebrity drama.

Within the first 20 minutes of the interview, Alex Cooper dared to do what no journalist in the last 20 years has done: bring up Lindsay Lohan. Back in the early 2000s this feud was on the cover of every tabloid and it went on for years. Alex Cooper understood the assignment with this one. She asks Hilary if the rumours of her crashing the 2003 Freaky Friday premiere were true, to which Hilary surprisingly answered “absolutely yes… I was a teenager”. Mic drop. I need you all to understand the literal gasp I gasped on my morning commute to work when I watched that. Hilary then says that Lindsay was her “childhood nemesis”. Pearls clutched. You all have to understand that for people like me, whose entire existence at that young age was consumed by these women, this is a very big deal. The Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff beef was one of the main reasons I ever bought a tabloid.

@entertainmenttonight Hilary Duff is finally coming clean on the rumors surrounding her feud with “childhood nemesis" Lindsay Lohan on ‘Call Her Daddy' 👀 #hilaryduff #lindsaylohan #freakyfriday #cheaperbythedozen ♬ original sound - Entertainment Tonight

In 2003, Hilary and Lindsay were at odds over their respective romantic relationships with former heartthrob Aaron Carter. Aaron dated Hilary for a bit then Lindsay then back to Hilary, all very normal teenager things except it was in the pages of every teen magazine. When the relationship with each of them was finally done, Hilary and Lindsay hated each other. And I mean they f-cking hated each other. Here’s a recap of that history and the number of likes on that video should tell you how many people lived for this mess. 

@seansartaccount one of my favorite celebrity feuds in history - Lindsay Lohan vs Hilary Duff #lindsaylohan #hilaryduff #painting ♬ original sound - se@n

Click here to watch Lindsay’s SNL monologue, featuring Rachel Dratch playing Hilary, that is referenced in the video above.

Hilary crashing the Freaky Friday premiere in August 2003 and Lindsay getting back at her by crashing the Cheaper By The Dozen premiere in December of the same year had eight-year-old me f-cking gagged; 20 years later I am still obsessed and I know it’s not just me.

At the time of the Freaky Friday premiere, Hilary was also shooting A Cinderella Story which just so happened to star Chad Michael Murray, who was also Lindsay’s love interest in Freaky Friday. The girls literally shared the same real-life and on-screen boyfriends, of course they were going to hate each other. This old interview with Lindsay from the red carpet shows her saying she was supposed to go to the premiere with Chad. Fast forward to 2026, Hilary told Alex Cooper that Chad actually invited her to the premiere but that she and Lindsay are on good terms now, even mentioning that her seven-year-old daughter is a “Lindsay Lohan stan”. She also tells the story of Lindsay asking her to take a shot when they made up, which according to gossip from back in the day, happened in 2007 at Hilary’s album release party for Dignity. Yes 2007 the year Lindsay got two DUIs. It was an interesting time. Now if only we can get Alex to ask Lindsay about Hilary in the near future and we can truly bring full circle this decades-long lore that has haunted the majority of millennial brains for decades.

Hilary shares a few more Aaron Carter nuggets with Alex, including an Olsen Twins and Amanda Bynes name drop when talking about Aaron’s birthday party. Alex didn’t react much to the Olsen Twin mention but that could have something to do with the fact that her husband Matt Kaplan once dated Ashley Olsen from 2001 and 2004, which happens to be around the time of that very birthday party. Just saying, the baby gossip in me felt the hairs on his back stand up from that one, LOL.

Hilary also confirms some long-standing Gossip Girl lore. A fun few tidbits about growing up with Penn Badgely when she lived at the Oakwood apartments in LA turned into another juicy story and I believe this was unintentional. Hilary did a few episodes on the third season of Gossip Girl back in 2009 and tells Alex about the energy on the set. There’s been speculation about Leighton Meester and Blake Lively’s real-life dynamic during the filming of the show and while Hilary doesn’t specify any names, she says that the entire cast was pretty sick of each other, implying they were not getting along. She also says that she was expecting to go onto a set with a group of close friends but quickly realized that was not the case. Pretty much every interview with Blake Lively has been brought up at this point ever since her case with Justin Baldoni, including some where she is seen being not so friendly to Leighton Meester. The Blake haters are running wild with this latest revelation. I know we just got an America’s Next Top Model documentary but I’d be interested for a deep dive on the world of Gossip Girl.

@pinkponyclub1111 gossip girl will forever be iconic #fyp #callherdaddy #gossipgirl #pennbadgley #you ♬ original sound - viralllll

Hilary’s music comeback has revived her name in the general pop culture conversation in a big way over the last few months and she seems to believe that one particular Disney star from her day is wanting to get some attention off her name. This of course has to do with Ashley Tisdale’s “toxic mom group” that went viral after her essay was published in The Cut back in January. Hilary says she felt “used” by the situation, and this tracks. Most people are aware that Ashley had the essay published in The Cut but she actually posted it a month earlier on her own personal blog which got the attention of, well, no one. It no longer lives there of course, but my brain is forever and I saw what I saw, girl.

@basicallyhollywood #HilaryDuff admits she felt used by the #AshleyTisdale toxic-mom story | #CallHerDaddy ♬ original sound - Basically Hollywood

The timing was interesting definitely but I did not expect her to actually say it in the interview. Then again, with a husband like Matthew who will exercise his internet troll tendencies to the full extent if it means defending his wife, it seems that maybe his ways have rubbed off on Hilary a bit. And for that, I thank him. I did love Ashley Tisdale growing up but I’m of the firm belief that whatever the truth is with that situation, it did not need to be shared at the expense of others. Kaley Cuoco recently touched on this story in an episode of Watch What Happens Live and she says it best, if you’re unhappy “just leave, baby” – but no need to write an exposé on those involved. Seems a little “toxic” to me. I also can fully acknowledge that I am team Hilary at all costs, this woman was my first-ever concert so I reserve the right to stay loyal to her. I’m gay, I don’t make the rules.

Hilary’s promo tour for her new album luck… or something has been the gift that keeps on giving and with a world tour planned that is set to go well into 2027, I have a feeling that we’re only going to get more but until then, Hilary’s comeback is a celebration for all of us who loved her growing up. Getting to see her now at 38 years old in her second prime getting to tell us all these stories after avoiding the pitfalls of child stardom is the true prize.

@alex...podcast Hilary Duff talking about relationships 😯#hilaryduff #singer #viraltiktok #CallHerDaddy #relationships ♬ original sound - Alex Fan Page

 

Photo credits: Christopher Polk/Shutterstock

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