What happened with Joel Madden and Hilary Duff? History explored as rocker reacts to Lizzie McGuire star’s alleged song about him

Hilary Duff returned to the studio, and her comeback single, “Mature,” instantly had fans dissecting the lyrics for clues about her past relationships. Although Hilary Duff had long settled into married life with husband Matthew Koma, the new track revisited the emotions of her teenage years, particularly a romance with an older partner. Hilary Duff didn’t reveal who inspired the song, but fans got a reason to revisit one of her most talked-about relationships: her early-2000s romance with Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden.

According to a report from Swoon, the relationship drew attention because it began when Hilary Duff was 16 and Joel Madden was 25. The two met through mutual friends in Los Angeles and quickly became one of the most photographed couples of the pop-punk era. Their romance eventually came to an end after a few years. As Swoon reported, Madden confirmed the breakup in November 2006, telling fans during a club appearance that he was “single.” At the time, speculation suggested that their age gap was a possible reason for the split, but Duff refuted that notion. Speaking to CosmoGirl in 2007, via CBS News, she said,

“All that stuff about the age difference between us being the reason we broke up is just not true; I never felt the age difference. Breaking up was just something that I felt needed to happen between us … we e-mail all the time now and are at a really good place.”

Nearly twenty years later, both stars found themselves back in headlines again, after Madden subtly reacted to Duff’s song “Mature,” which fans believe could be about him.

Joel Madden pushes back on rumors connecting him to Hilary Duff’s song ‘Mature’

Joel Madden pushed back on any renewed speculation linking him to Hilary Duff’s new music. The Good Charlotte singer offered public support for Duff’s latest single, “Mature,” even as fans dissected the lyrics for references to their mid-2000s relationship. Madden, who dated Duff from 2004 to 2006, reposted his wife Nicole Richie’s Instagram Story to his own account. The image showed Nicole Richie and Hilary Duff laughing together while lying in the grass.

“‘Mature’ is not the word I would use to describe us,” Richie wrote in the caption, tagging Duff.

“But regardless, this song is a BOP.”

Duff co-wrote “Mature” with Matthew Koma and Madison Love, and the lyrics appeared to allude to a younger woman’s relationship with an older man.

“She looks like she could be your daughter / Like me before I got smarter,” Duff sang.

“When I was flattered to hear you say / You’re so mature for your age.”

As noted by E! News, many listeners assumed the track referenced Madden due to the pair’s nine-year age gap. They began dating when Hilary Duff was 16 and he was 25, ultimately parting ways when she turned 19. Hilary Duff declined to confirm those theories. Speaking on the Therapuss with Jake Shane podcast, she said the song was meant to be more introspective than personal.

“With ‘Mature,’ it’s a really fun song, and I feel like it’s myself talking to my younger self about an experience that we had and just reflecting on it, and being okay with it and having a little tongue-in-cheek moment with yourself. Accepting your past and being good with where you landed,” Duff explained.

Today, both couples maintain a friendly relationship. Hilary Duff, who shares son Luca with ex-husband Mike Comrie and daughters Banks, Mae, and Townes with Koma, said that she and Koma often socialize with Richie and Madden.

“We’re neighbors. And we actually hang out all the time, I was just in her driveway honking her to come drink wine with us the other day.” Duff told Watch What Happens Live in 2023.

Hilary Duff reflects on her early romance with Joel Madden and their age-gap controversy

According to Swoon, Hilary Duff and Joel Madden first met through mutual friends while in Los Angeles.

“The first time we met, he was kind of standoffish, like too cool for school,” Duff recalled on The Ellen DeGeneres Show back in 2005.

She remembered telling Madden she liked his band’s music that night, which led him to ask for her number.

“It’s kind of a lame story, really,” she said.

Their connection soon developed into a relationship, although it quickly drew scrutiny due to their age gap. Still, the romance wasn’t confirmed publicly until Duff’s mother addressed it during a Seventeen magazine interview in 2005.

By early 2006, the pair had embraced the attention, appearing together on the cover of Teen People. In the interview, they spoke openly about the criticism they faced, describing themselves as a “low-key” couple who felt misunderstood.

“People thought we were an unlikely couple, but we really weren’t that different,” Duff later said.

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“After two months, I didn’t even see his tattoos anymore because that’s not who he is. He used to say, ‘I don’t think there are too many people out there who really get you, but I do.’ And he did. I could be stupid, silly, funny, or crazy, and he got it. He gave me a sense of confidence and independence I didn’t have before.”

Have you heard the song? What did you make of it? Sound off in the comments section below.

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