Hilary Duff reunites with Joel Madden at New York concert

Hilary Duff brought her former boyfriend Joel Madden and his band Good Charlotte on stage to a screaming crowd during her Madison Square Garden concert on Wednesday night.

The unexpected appearance came two decades after Duff and Madden dated. The former couple were tabloid fixtures during their romance, which ran from 2004 to 2006.

The two performed a rendition of the band's 2002 hit The Anthem.

Madden, 47, and Duff, 38, remained on good terms after their split. They now spend time with each other's spouses.

Madden has been with Nicole Richie, 44, for nearly 20 years. They met and started dating in late 2006, not long after his breakup with Duff.

The rocker and Richie welcomed a daughter, Harlow, in 2008, and a son, Sparrow, a year later. The couple married in December 2010.

Duff married Matthew Koma in December 2019. They met four years prior during a studio session for her album Breathe In, Breathe Out.

Duff and Koma had their first child, Violet Banks, in 2018. They welcomed two more daughters, Mae James in 2021 and Townes Meadow in 2022. Duff also shares a 14 year old son, Luca, with her first husband, NHL player Mike Comrie.

The Lucky Me tour

Duff started her The Lucky Me Tour in West Palm Beach, Florida, on June 21. She performs in Europe in September, New Zealand and Australia in October, and finishes the tour in Mexico in February 2027.

Koma travels with Duff and their children on the road, though not as a performer. During her breaks, he joins Good Charlotte on stage as a guest guitarist and backup vocalist.

Duff discussed the camaraderie between the two couples on an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2023.

"I have a good relationship with their whole family," Duff told Cohen. "We actually hang out all the time. I was just in [Nicole's] driveway, honking for her to come drink wine with us the other day."

She said they hike together frequently, calling the arrangement lovely.

Past relationship

Madden spoke to People magazine in 2007 about his relationship with Duff following their split.

"Every girl I’ve ever dated I have respect for, and I always try to leave them [on] good terms," Madden said. "I don't see the necessity to be friends with anyone you've dated but definitely out of respect of the time, you have to be kind of respectful and that's what I try to do."

He added that he ignored rumors and tried to continue living his life.

"People can say or think whatever they want, so in my reality, it's kind of irrelevant," Madden said. "I'm always the kind of person that does the right thing and keeps my side of the street clean."

Childhood connection

Duff's reunion with Madden follows her admission that she considers it a badge of honor to be part of people's childhoods.

Duff became a household name starring as the titular character in the series Lizzie McGuire, which ran from 2001 to 2004.

She launched her music career in 2002 with the Christmas album Santa Claus Lane. She followed with the 2004 record Hilary Duff and Dignity in 2007.

Numerous adults now tell her she played an important part in their lives while they were growing up.

"I hear that a lot from people, [that I was an important part of their childhood], and I wear a badge of honor," she recently told People.

Live tour setlist

Duff regularly delights fans by performing older tracks like So Yesterday and Come Clean on her current tour. She also belts out What Dreams are Made Of from Lizzie McGuire.

"What’s been so fun about the live shows is realizing how much the old songs mean to people," she said. "A lot of those songs just live rent free in my head, so it'll be nice for the other music to catch up and join the mix."

She noted that her fans have grown up and share similar life experiences, making it fun to mix real world experiences together. "It’s this very cool way to connect in our lives now," she said.

Duff told The Hollywood Reporter she is excited when fans scream and sing her new material just as much as her older tracks.

"The show for me feels like a very big celebration that’s representative of my present self and celebrating an important part of my life, which is my past," she said. "When I first met everyone. And that naturally is the nostalgic element that feels emotional for people."