Hilary Duff Finally Reveals Why She Crashed Lindsay Lohan's 2003 Freaky Friday Premiere

For nearly 20 years, fans have speculated why Hilary Duff appeared at Lindsay Lohan's "Freaky Friday" premiere back in 2003, amid rumors of a teen rivalry.

On Wednesday, February 25, Duff finally shared the story during an episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.

"Yeah, I was a teenager!" Duff laughed when host Alex Cooper asked if she intentionally crashed the red carpet.

She admitted that part of the reason was to get a rise out of Lohan. But Duff also revealed another, more practical reason: her "A Cinderella Story" co-star, Chad Michael Murray, who starred in "Freaky Friday," had invited her.

"Chad Michael Murray invited me. I don't want to start any more stuff, but he was like, 'You should come with me,' and I was like, 'Mhmm. Probably I should,'" she explained. At the time, Duff was just 15 years old, Billboard reported.

The teen drama between Duff and Lohan made headlines in the early 2000s. Reports suggested the two were feuding over shared romantic interests, including pop star Aaron Carter.

Duff recalled, "This is where all this stuff started. There was no social media to be like, who was dating who? You just take people's word for it and then people get mad at you."

She added, "If you're, like, Lindsay Lohan or me, he's, like, probably dating both of us, like, you know what I mean?"

Hilary Duff Reflects on Childhood Feud

Lohan reportedly returned the favor by showing up at Duff's "Cheaper by the Dozen" premiere later that same year.

According to People, reflecting on the feud, Duff joked, "I mean, that was, like, my childhood nemesis... I'm sure my publicist will be like, 'What the f— are you doing?' But now it's so many years later, like, who cares?"

Over time, the former rivals buried the hatchet. "Lindsay came up to me at a club once and was like, 'Are we good?' And I was like, 'We're good.' She was like, 'Let's take a shot.' I'm like, 'Okay.' It was amazing," Duff recalled.

Duff also shared that she first met Aaron Carter at his birthday party with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Amanda Bynes, describing him as "so cute."

She dated the singer from 2001 to 2004 and later paid tribute after his passing in 2022: "Boy, did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy."

Tags

Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan