Hilary Duff addresses ‘toxic’ mum group claims and opens up about teenage feud with Lindsay Lohan

Hilary Duff speaks out on podcast about mum group drama and her early 2000s feud with Lindsay Lohan.

Published: February 25, 2026 at 11:35 PM

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Hilary Duff has broken her silence on the celebrity mum group drama that recently made headlines, describing the situation as “sad” and admitting she “felt used”.

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Appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast with Alex Cooper, the mum of four also reflected on her very public teenage “nemesis” era with Lindsay Lohan, confirming that their early 2000s fallout is long behind them.

For mums who have followed the recent conversation around so called “mean girl” mum culture, Duff’s comments add another layer to a story that has clearly resonated far beyond Hollywood.

Read more: Ashley Tisdale says ‘mean girl energy’ drove her to quit celeb mum group with big names like Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff on the Lindsay Lohan ‘feud’

Before addressing the mum group headlines, Duff looked back at the rivalry that dominated tabloid culture during her teens.

Duff and Lohan were frequently pitted against each other in the early 2000s, during a love triangle involving the late Aaron Carter. Speaking candidly about that time, Duff admitted that some of the drama was typical teenage behaviour.

When asked by Alex Cooper whether she had intentionally attended the premiere of Freaky Friday, Duff replied, “I think absolutely. Yes. Yeah, I was a teenager.”

Cooper also asked whether she was surprised when Lohan showed up to the Cheaper by the Dozen premiere.

“No. No. I mean, that was like my childhood feud, like nemesis,” Duff said.

Looking back now, Duff made it clear there is no lingering bad blood. “I know. I mean, I can’t, like I’m sure my publicist will be like, ‘What the **** are you doing?’ But now it’s so many years later, like who cares? It does not matter,” she concluded.

She also shared that the pair eventually squashed their issues years ago, bonding over a shot and reaching an understanding during a night out.

For parents raising children in the age of social media, her reflections feel like a reminder of how intense and public teenage conflicts can be, especially when amplified by fame.

Responding to the ‘toxic’ mum group claims

Duff also addressed the recent claims surrounding a celebrity mum group, after Ashley Tisdale previously described experiencing “mean girl” energy within a group widely believed to include Duff, Mandy Moore and Meghan Trainor.

While Duff did not go into specific details about individuals, she acknowledged the impact of the speculation.

She told Cooper she “felt used” and was “sad” about the situation.

Referring to online discussion and fan speculation, Duff added that people did not have to “connect very many dots,” before saying, “It sucks to read something that’s not true, and it sucks on behalf of six women and all of their lives.”

The comments come after weeks of online conversation about exclusion, cliques and how even high profile mums are not immune to complicated friendship dynamics.

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When mum friendships feel complicated

While this particular story involves celebrities, the emotional themes will feel familiar to many parents.

From NCT groups and baby classes to nursery WhatsApps and playground politics, forming friendships in early motherhood can feel unexpectedly loaded. The pressure to find your “village” is real, and when connections do not unfold naturally, it can sting.

Duff did not elaborate on the inner workings of the group, but her comment that it “sucks” to read things that are “not true” highlights another layer of modern mum life, navigating private relationships in a very public world.

It also echoes a wider conversation about boundaries, social media and how quickly narratives can form online.

Read more: It's not just Ashley Tisdale: Why so many mums feel excluded from the ‘village’

Hilary on husband Matthew Koma’s involvement

The podcast also touched on Duff’s husband, music producer Matthew Koma, who has previously appeared to comment publicly on the situation.

When asked how she felt about him getting involved, Duff kept things light, explaining that everything he does makes her laugh.

It was a small but telling moment that showed how she is choosing to approach the situation, with perspective and humour rather than escalation.

A reminder that no one is immune

If there is one takeaway from Duff’s appearance, it is that no stage of motherhood is completely free from social complexity, whether you are navigating baby groups in Surrey or playdates in Los Angeles.

Duff’s reflections on both her teenage rivalry and the more recent mum group headlines suggest a similar theme, time changes perspective. What once felt intense or defining can later feel distant and insignificant.

As she put it about her early feud, “who cares? It does not matter.”

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For many mums juggling friendships, family life and the ever present influence of Instagram, that sentiment might feel surprisingly reassuring.

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