On the podcast “Call Her Daddy,” Hilary Duff talks about surviving childhood stardom, early 2000s culture, and why she believes she “weren’t crazy.”
Watch Hilary Duff’s viral moment as she performs a meme-worthy dance
Hilary Duff’s London performance was pure nostalgia with fan favorites and moments from her viral “With Love” dance.
Hilary Duff is setting a record for growing up in the spotlight.
“People will look at me and think, ‘Oh, maybe she had it easy,'” Duff said on the Feb. 25 episode of the podcast “Call Her Daddy.” “It hasn’t been easy, but I’m feeling okay.”
“I’m not crazy,” Duff added.
Now, the 38-year-old is reviving his career. Her first album in over 10 years, “Luck…or Something,” was released on February 20th. The 2000s pop star is wrapping up her stay in Las Vegas and is scheduled to begin a tour in support of her new album this summer, marking her first world tour in nearly 20 years, followed by an international tour that will continue through 2027.
Her musical comeback is certainly attracting attention. But so is the way she’s getting candid about her upbringing and the perspective she’s gained after taking a break from the childhood spotlight.
“It’s only when you give yourself a little bit of space that you can zoom in and be like, ‘Oh, something weird happened,'” Duff explained to Alex Cooper, host of the Call Her Daddy podcast. “At this age, it took me a while to actually take credit for how I got through it.”
Unique conflicts faced by child stars
There’s no denying that child stars face unique challenges when they reach the age where they’re in the public eye.
Donna Rockwell, a clinical psychologist specializing in celebrity mental health and CEO of the wellness community Already Famous, previously told USA TODAY that early fame can have a significant impact on mental health.
“If you haven’t had the opportunity to experience a real childhood, it’s very difficult to grow up into a grounded, mature adult,” Rockwell said, adding, “Child stars often miss these important steps, so they focus on external recognition rather than internal self-worth, which can lead to mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, or a state of constant longing.”
Duff shot to fame at the age of 13 as the star of the Disney film Lizzie McGuire, which aired from 2001 to 2004, and continued her remarkable acting career with roles in Younger and How I Met Your Father. Her 2003 album Metamorphosis also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, propelling her to multi-platform stardom.
Recalling the early moments when she realized she was famous, Call Her Daddy recalled going to a fashion mall with friends and getting “rubbed up by the kids” and being led to a supplies closet by staff.
“I’m in the broom aisle at the mall. Can you pick me up?” she recalled telling her mother over the phone, laughing.
Duff’s rise to fame coincided with the peak of tabloid culture in the early 2000s, which hounded stars like Britney Spears. In the episode, Cooper noted that Duff has a reputation for being “one of the few child stars who escaped Hollywood’s big pitfalls.” Her colleagues Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes have battled mental health in more public ways.
Not only does this constant coverage potentially worsen the celebrities’ own mental health, but it also perpetuates the stigma in others that people with mental health issues are dangerous, weak-minded, lazy, attention-seekers, and therefore deserving of being laughed at.
“People are so bold about making fun of celebrities because they feel so removed from their lives that they see them as almost non-human, fictional characters,” board-certified psychiatrist Kari Hobson previously told USA TODAY. “But…if people see celebrities being ridiculed and demonized in the media, why would anyone think it’s safe to open up and ask for help?”
The Disney alum said in the episode that getting through that period of her life was “tough” and credited her upbringing for keeping her grounded. It’s something she unravels further in therapy.
To her millennial fans, Duff will always be synonymous with the awkwardly lovable and big-hearted Lizzie McGuire. But on her next tour, we’ll have a chance to see Duff achieve stardom in her own way.
“I’m having so much fun, I couldn’t have asked for a better welcome,” Duff said. “Everything felt very celebratory.”
Contributor: Hanna Yasharoff
Rachel Hale’s role covering youth mental health for USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Contact her at rhale@usatoday.com. @rachleighhale At X.
