Hilary Duff makes rare admission on 'complicated' relationship with estranged sister Haylie
Lizzie McGuire actress Hilary Duff confirmed two of her new songs, 'We Don't Talk' and 'The Optimist', are about her family estrangements
Fans of Hilary Duff's upcoming music may pick up on several subtle references to relationship turbulence, woven deep into her lyrics.
Speaking to Glamour this week (17 Feb), the Lizzie McGuire star confirmed the inclusion of these cryptic clues was absolutely intentional.
Duff confirmed that the tracks 'We Don't Talk' and 'The Optimist' from her new compilation Luck... or Something, hinge specifically on her long-standing estrangement from sister Haylie and their father Bob.
In the former, she hints at the rift between her and her 40-year-old sibling, because of which they have no communication.
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Duff sings: 'I'm not sure when it happened, not even sure what it was about / If I did something different, would you feel something different? Would you at least let me hear you out?'. She also discusses 'emotional eviction' later on in the single.
As a reminder, the sisters - who previously bore a close, public relationship - haven't been photographed together since 2019. There has also been no trace of a social media-friendly kinship between the pair.
The rumour mill was sent further spinning earlier this year, when Haylie 'liked' an essay that Ashley Tisdale had written for The Cut, in which the latter detailed her decision to cut off a 'toxic mom group', in which fellow Disney Channel alum Duff was reportedly involved.
Days later, Haylie was seen grabbing dinner with Tisdale in Malibu, California.
Though neither sister has ever publicly confirmed speculation of a spat, Cheaper By The Dozen actress Duff was this week asked if personal fall-outs had played a part in her song-writing.
The 38-year-old went on to explain: "That’s my family. Those are the people that affect you the most, take up the most space naturally as a human who’s born into something.
"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."
Going on, Duff claimed to have endured a 'very complicated life', especially with regard to her parents.
In 'The Optimist', Duff hints at enduring an arduous relationship with her dad.
The mother-of-two sings: "I wish I could sleep on planes, and that my father would really love me."
Her parents, Bob and Sue, had been married for over 20 years when they decided to divorce in what would later become a major legal spat.
In 2008 - in the midst of the chaos - Duff's father was charged with contempt of court after a judge ruled him guilty of flogging a number of family assets without their approval, for which he served time behind bars.
He went on to blame both of his daughters' level of fame when asked what had prompted the end of his marriage, previously telling Inside Edition: "Susan was very consumed with the girls’ careers - we simply grew apart."
Bob also confessed: "I was unfaithful to our marriage. I feel very badly about that and the effect that it had on the girls."
"I know it’s not rare," Duff told press this week of what she went through. "And I think it goes back to the theme of, why share now?
"I guess I just felt ready."
Duff is a mother-of-four, sharing a 13-year-old son, Luca, with ex-husband Mike Comrie, and daughters Banks, seven, Mae, four, and Townes, 21-months, with husband Matthew Koma.
Of her upcoming project, she added: "I just felt really ready to share. 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."
Topics: Celebrity, US News, Music, Entertainment
Rhianna Benson