Frankie Muniz Blames Hilary Duff's Mum for Ruining Their Friendship During Their Disney Days

Frankie Muniz has opened up about one of his earliest Hollywood friendships — and how it suddenly ended. Speaking on The Joe Vulpis Podcast, the Malcolm in the Middle star said that Hilary Duff was 'probably one of my first friends when I moved to LA,' explaining that the two met as young performers living near the Oakwood Apartments, a well-known hub for aspiring child actors. The friendship, however, changed when he was invited to guest-star on Duff's breakout Disney series Lizzie McGuire in 2002. There, he said, he encountered her mother — Susan Duff, a credited producer on The Lizzie McGuire Movie — and immediately felt tension. He shared, 'We became really, really good friends... we had a great relationship for a long time.'

'She Signed the Contract Overnight'

Muniz said, 'Her mum was the epitome of a stage mum, Hilary was so cool... but her mum was super intense. My mum was the opposite — she'd hide in the corner, didn't want to get in anyone's way.' Muniz recalled that Susan Duff had asked what his plans were for the summer. He mentioned that he was set to film a new action-comedy, Agent Cody Banks, in Vancouver — only to learn the very next day that Hilary Duff had been cast as his co-star.

'The next morning her mum goes, "Guess what? We're going to spend the summer together — Hilary's doing Cody Banks with you,"' Muniz remembered. 'I said, "No, she's not," and she said, "Yeah, she is. We signed the contract last night." The movie she knew nothing about the day before — she was suddenly in. It blew my mind.' Muniz said he had been told he'd have creative input in choosing his on-screen partner and felt blindsided when the studio went around him.

'Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled,' he continued. 'Not because I didn't want it to be Hilary, but because it wasn't handled right.'

He said he later discovered 'calls were made' that evening after Susan Duff learned of the project. 'They assumed it was fine because Hilary and I were friends,' he said, adding that he still found it hard to believe.

From Set Tension to Silence

Despite professional politeness, the atmosphere on set changed. 'I had an amazing time filming, but it was very sad when Hilary's mum would come on set,' Muniz admitted. 'She just made it... different.'

He went on to reveal that he and Duff have not spoken since Agent Cody Banks wrapped. He said, 'I've never talked to Hilary since the last day of filming. Not one word... I regret not continuing to be friends with her because we had a great friendship for so long — and her mum... it pissed me off.'

Muniz also acknowledged a brief 'small dating element' between the two at the time, which made the dynamic more complicated. 'There was awkwardness,' he said. 'We were young and figuring it out. Looking back, I wish I'd just moved past it.'

The Malcolm in The Middle star described his own mother as hands-off and respectful of the creative process, contrasting it with what he experienced in others' families.

'I was so lucky my mum let me have space, she cared about me, not the fame. I think that's why I stayed sane through it.'

Malcolm in the Middle Returns

Weeks after the podcast aired, Muniz fuelled another wave of nostalgia when he posted a behind-the-scenes photo on 24 October with his on-screen brothers Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield.

In the same podcast interview Muniz shared that the project had been 'years in talks,' saying it would be a four-part limited series. 'It's hard to fit 20 years of stuff in four 30-minute episodes,' he said, 'but fans are going to be very happy with what they came up with.'

The revival will see Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and Jane Kaczmarek return as Malcolm, Hal, and Lois. It's confirmed that Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield will reprise their roles as Francis and Reese, as well as younger roles in the recast.

The reboot Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair, is scheduled to premiere in 2026 on Disney+, marking a fresh chapter in Muniz's comeback story.