Hilary Duff defends mother Susan after Frankie Muniz labeled her ‘super intense’ stage mom
Hilary Duff defends mother Susan after Frankie Muniz labeled her ‘super intense’ stage mom
Kathleen PerriconeMon, March 16, 2026 at 11:05 PM UTC
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Hilary Duff and her mother Susan in November 2003Credit: Giulio Marcocchi/Getty
Hilary Duff is “coming clean” about being a child actor managed by her mother.
The former Lizzie McGuire star appeared on Mythical Kitchen on Monday and discussed the highs and lows of Hollywood youth, particularly the time she was “fired” from a television show at age 11 (and replaced by twins because they could work “double the time”).
The perceived rejection was devastating for the preteen, and she believes being a child actor gets you “prepped way too soon” for that kind of harsh judgement.
Hilary Duff appeared on 'Mythical Kitchen' hosted by Josh SchererCredit: Mythical Kitchen/YouTube
It was her mother and manager, Susan Duff, who convinced Hilary to pursue her dreams — however, “I was never pushed into acting,” she clarified to Mythical Kitchen host Josh Scherer. “My mom, you know, knew that my sister [Haylie] and I loved performing…. Back when I was doing it, no one was acting where I came from, so everyone thought it was like, ‘She has a stage mom.’”
Duff’s defense of her mother comes after fellow child star and former friend Frankie Muniz labeled Susan “the epitome of a stage mom” in a recent interview. “Hilary was so cool, we had an awesome relationship,” he revealed, “but her mom was super intense.”
In an October 2025 interview on The Joe Vulpis Podcast, Muniz recalled his 2002 appearance on Lizzie McGuire, when he was approached by Susan in his dressing room and pressed about his upcoming acting gigs.
“I go, ‘Oh, I’m filming this movie where I’m playing like a junior James Bond. It’s called Agent Cody Banks,’” he recounted. “And she’s like, ‘Is there a girl that could be Hilary, that would be good for Hilary?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I dunno.’”
The very next day, Muniz was back on the Lizzie McGuire set when Susan shared the news with him: Hilary would be his co-star in Agent Cody Banks.
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“I looked at her and I went, ‘No she's not!’” he told Vulpis. “She’s like, ‘No, yeah, yeah, she is. They signed the contract last night.’ And I'm like, ‘The movie you knew nothing about yesterday, you signed — how — it’s not possible! it’s not humanly possible.’”
Frankie Muniz and Hilary Duff co-starred in 'Agent Cody Banks' in 2003Credit: Diyah Pera/MGM
As a result, the making of Agent Cody Banks was not quite the experience he had envisioned.
“I was very sad when Hilary’s mom would come on set,” Muniz confessed to Vulpis. “I’m being honest, you know what I mean? I’m old enough to where I realize I don’t mind people knowing the truth.”
And neither does Hilary. While on Mythical Kitchen, she discussed paving the way for Disney stars-turned pop stars Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place), Demi Lovato (Sonny With a Chance), and Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) — who all became Hollywood Records chart-toppers just like Hilary.
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During those early years when she was the Disney superstar archetype, “It was really nice that I had my mom in the corner... for better or for worse,” she confessed to Scherer, “I think there was obviously mistakes made and, like, a learning process, but it’s hard to be like a family up against like a machine.”
Check out more from Hilary Duff on Mythical Kitchen below!
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