Hilary Duff Opens Up About Divorce, Family Rifts & Disney Past

Hilary Duff is opening up about pivotal moments in her life, from the end of her marriage to Mike Comrie to ongoing family dynamics and the pressures of growing up in the spotlight. In a candid conversation on the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast (March 9), the singer-actress reflected on navigating divorce, strained parental relationships, and a complicated dynamic with her sister, Haylie Duff, although also touching on the loss of innocence that came with early fame through the Disney Channel.

Duff, now 36, detailed her 2014 split from former NHL player Mike Comrie, whom she married in 2010 and with whom she shares 13-year-old son Luca. “I felt like in that time of my life, I was so ready to receive married… I was ready to have a baby,” she told Shetty. “I was ready to have something of my own, you know, that I could just like, focus on and it be mine.” She acknowledged the difficulty of choosing to end a family, but emphasized the importance of successful co-parenting. “Choosing to end a family is a huge, horrible choice to develop. But I also co-parent… with that person. And we do a great job mostly.” Their divorce was finalized in 2016, as Billboard reported at the time.

Navigating Family Rifts and a Novel Song’s Inspiration

The conversation extended beyond her romantic life to encompass the complexities of her relationship with her parents, Robert and Susan Duff, who divorced in 2008. Duff described the pain of not always feeling fully supported by her parents. “To be in a family that, you know, your parents aren’t together, and you don’t have relationships with both of your parents, it’s devastating,” she shared. “You seek your parents to experience like they care about you. And a big portion of my existence hasn’t felt like that. I don’t know if that’s the truth, but that’s how it feels.”

Adding another layer of emotional complexity, Duff revealed a current estrangement from her older sister, Haylie. This rift served as the inspiration for “We Don’t Talk,” a track on her recently released album, Luck… or Something. “My sister and I don’t speak,” she stated, adding that it’s “remarkably hard to be a person who’s had their life exposed in the industry for 25 years.” Billboard noted the song’s raw vulnerability and its reflection of a deeply personal struggle.

The Disney Years and a Loss of Innocence

Duff also reflected on the impact of her early fame, particularly her time with Disney. She pinpointed around age 15 as the moment she began to feel intensely scrutinized. “Probably around 15 was when I feel like the world started getting very interested in what I was wearing, who I was dating, what I was eating… I feel like I lost some serious innocence,” she explained to Shetty. This scrutiny, she continued, led to a period of body image issues and experimentation with disordered eating. “I was dealing with people commenting on my body at a young age and starting to get photographed and people, like, asking you how many times you weigh yourself or comparing you to people that were thinner than you or other girls in your line of work,” she said. “I definitely struggled for a little while there, just trying to fit a certain mold and have control over something in my life. Thankfully that was pretty short-lived. Um, but definitely toyed with it.”

Luck… or Something and a Return to Touring

Duff’s new album, Luck… or Something, released on February 20, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album marks a return to music for Duff, who is also balancing her acting career and motherhood to Banks, 7, Mae, 4, and Townes, 20 months, with husband Matthew Koma. She is gearing up for a world arena tour kicking off in June 2026, her first in over a decade, according to Billboard.

Duff’s willingness to openly discuss these personal challenges – divorce, family estrangement, and the pressures of fame – resonates with fans and offers a glimpse behind the carefully constructed image of a public figure. Her reflections on the podcast highlight the ongoing process of navigating life’s complexities and the importance of self-awareness and resilience.

Resources for Eating Disorder Support: If you or someone you know need support for an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorders Association for more information.

You can watch the full interview with Hilary Duff on On Purpose With Jay Shetty here.