Frankie Muniz Reveals He Hasn’t Spoken to Hilary Duff in 22 Years — Here’s What Happened

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So, I was listening to this podcast, The Joe Vulpis Podcast, and Frankie Muniz was on, and it was pretty interesting. He was talking about being a kid actor back in the early 2000s, and he revealed he hasn’t spoken to Hilary Duff, his co-star from Agent Cody Banks, in over twenty years! It was a bit of a surprise to hear that, honestly.

Frankie Muniz, now 39, shared that Hilary Duff was one of the first people he befriended after relocating to Los Angeles to work on Malcolm in the Middle. He explained, “Hilary was probably one of my first friends when I moved to LA for Malcolm in the Middle.”

He shared that many young actors lived in the same Burbank apartment building years ago. While Muniz didn’t live there himself, his mom would often drop him off to spend time with his friends. That’s how he met Hilary Duff, who was starring in Lizzie McGuire. “We quickly became close friends and had a great relationship for a long time,” he recalled.

Their friendship blossomed to the point where Frankie Muniz guest-starred as himself on an episode of Lizzie McGuire in 2002. However, their relationship soon shifted. On a recent podcast, Muniz hinted he was about to reveal a story he’d kept secret for years, saying, “I’m not sure if I want to share this, but I might. It’s been a long time coming.”

While filming Lizzie McGuire, Justin Muniz remembered being in Hilary Duff’s dressing room with her mother, Susan Duff. He described Susan as the classic “stage mom”—very involved and intense. He contrasted this with his own mother, who preferred to stay out of the way and would quietly observe from a corner.

Muniz recalled that during their conversation, Hilary’s mom inquired about his summer plans. He explained he was filming a movie where he played a young spy, similar to James Bond. He remembered telling her the movie was called Agent Cody Banks. Hilary’s mom then asked if there were any female roles that might be a good fit for Hilary. Muniz admitted he didn’t give it much thought at the time, even though he realized he had some influence over who was cast as the female lead.

The following day, Susan excitedly told Frankie Muniz they would be spending the summer together. He assumed she meant Hilary Duff was filming another movie in Vancouver, where he had been working on Agent Cody Banks. But Susan quickly clarified, “Actually, she’s doing Cody Banks with you – they finalized the contract last night.”

Muniz was surprised when he found out about the movie. He recalled thinking, “How could this be something I hadn’t heard about?” He contacted his agents, who explained that they had already discussed it and, knowing his friendship with Hilary Duff, the studio simply assumed he’d be okay with the casting decision. He admitted he wasn’t happy about it at all.

He clarified that he wasn’t actually upset with Hilary, but with the way decisions were made without his knowledge. Despite that, he felt the filming process went smoothly. He especially enjoyed working with Angie Harmon, who played Agent Ronica Miles. He also mentioned, “It was always difficult when Hilary’s mother visited the set.”

You know, I was really surprised to hear this, but apparently, I haven’t spoken to Hilary Duff since we wrapped filming! Seriously, not a single word. We kept things professional on set, but it was definitely awkward. We’d briefly dated, and honestly, things got complicated because of her mom. It just made the whole situation really uncomfortable, so we kind of just…stopped talking.

In retrospect, Muniz expressed regret about how things ended. He wished he and his friend had stayed friends, noting they’d had a long and wonderful friendship. He also admitted he was frustrated with her mother.

Despite everything, Muniz expressed a desire to reconnect with Duff in the future. He said he’d love to catch up with her and discuss what actually happened during the casting process for Agent Cody Banks. He believes she wasn’t aware of everything that went on at the time.

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2025-10-29 11:14