
Actress and singer Hilary Duff is opening up about a deeply personal struggle within her family, revealing that she and her sister, Haylie Duff, are no longer speaking — a painful reality she recently addressed in a new song.
The former Lizzie McGuire star shared the emotional confession during a recent appearance on the podcast On Purpose with Jay Shetty, where she discussed the inspiration behind her new album, Luck…or something. One of the album’s songs, titled “We Don’t Talk,” reflects the heartbreak of her strained relationship with her older sister.
“My sister and I don’t speak,” Duff said candidly. “And I think in my adulthood I’ve come across more and more people that are having this experience.”
Duff became emotional as she described how the song emerged from her own life experiences. After stepping away from music for nearly a decade, she said she felt compelled to be honest about the struggles she has faced.
“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,” she explained. “There would be no purpose in making a record after 10 years if I wasn’t talking about what it’s been like.”
The actress said writing the song required vulnerability and careful reflection, especially after spending much of her life in the public eye.
“That’s my truth, and I really worked hard to lyrically make sure that I’m just speaking about my experience,” she said. “It’s very hard to be a person who’s had their life exposed in the industry for 25 years.”
Though the situation remains painful, Duff said she hopes the separation isn’t permanent.
“It’s a very vulnerable song, and it’s a very raw part of my existence,” she said. “I hope it’s not forever, but it’s for right now.”
The singer also revealed that the tension in her family extends beyond her relationship with her sister. Duff shared that she has limited communication with her father following her parents’ divorce when she was 18.
“It was a really hard time,” she said, recalling the difficult period that followed their split. “There was a lot of fighting, and it was not like they could hang out and be in the same room.”
Those experiences shaped how Duff approached her own divorce from former NHL player Mike Comrie, with whom she shares a son. Determined to avoid the same tension she witnessed growing up, Duff said she prioritized a healthier co-parenting relationship.
“Not that it was always easy, but it felt way easier than the alternative,” she said.
Still, Duff acknowledged that family fractures can be difficult to repair.
“It’s really hard, I think, if a family breaks apart very dramatically,” she reflected. “It’s hard to find your way back sometimes. And some people want to, and some people don’t.”
Her candid admission is a reminder that even celebrities face the same painful family struggles many people quietly endure — and that healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation often take time.