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

Frankie Muniz recently opened up about why he hasn’t talked to his Agent Cody Banks co-star Hilary Duff in more than two decades. The actor shared the story during an interview on The Joe Vulpis Podcast on September 2, where he talked about his life as a child star in the early 2000s.

Muniz, now 39, said that Hilary Duff was one of his first friends after he moved to Los Angeles to film Malcolm in the Middle. “Hilary Duff was probably one of my first friends when I moved to LA to film Malcolm [in the Middle],” he said.

He explained that back then, a lot of young actors lived in the same apartment complex in Burbank, California. Muniz didn’t live there, but his mom often dropped him off so he could hang out with his friends. That’s where he met Duff, who was starring in Lizzie McGuire. “We became really, really good friends. We had a really great relationship for a long time,” he said.

Their friendship even led to Muniz appearing on an episode of Lizzie McGuire in 2002, where he played himself. But things changed soon after. On the podcast, Muniz said he was going to share a story he had never told before. “I don’t know if I want to tell it, but maybe I will. It’s been a long time,” he said.

He recalled being in Hilary’s dressing room one day while filming Lizzie McGuire, where her mom, Susan Duff, was also present. Muniz described her as “the epitome of a stage mom” and said she was “super intense.” He added that his own mom was the opposite and would “hide in the corner” to stay out of the way.

Muniz said that during that conversation, Hilary’s mom asked what he was doing that summer. He told her he was going to film a movie where he played a junior James Bond-type character. “It’s called Agent Cody Banks,” he remembered telling her. Susan then asked if there was a female role that would be good for Hilary. Muniz said he didn’t think much of it at the time, even though he knew he had a say in who would play the female lead.

The next day, Susan told him, “Guess what? We’re going to be spending the summer together.” Muniz thought she meant Hilary had another movie in Vancouver, where Agent Cody Banks was filming. But Susan told him, “No, she’s doing Cody Banks with you… They signed the contract last night.”

Muniz said he was shocked. “The movie you knew nothing about yesterday?” he remembered thinking. He called his agents, who told him that “calls were made” and that because he and Hilary were friends, the studio assumed he would be fine with the casting. “Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled about it,” he said.

He explained that his frustration wasn’t about Hilary herself but about how things were handled behind his back. Still, he said filming went well overall. He had a great time working with Angie Harmon, who played Agent Ronica Miles. “I was very sad when Hilary’s mom would come on set,” he added.

Muniz then revealed something that surprised many fans. “If I told you I’ve never talked to Hilary since the last day of filming. I’ve not said one word to her since then. So that’s the truth of that,” he said. He explained that they stayed professional during filming, but things were awkward. There had been “a small dating element” between them that had ended, and the situation with her mom made things uncomfortable.

Looking back, Muniz said he wishes things had gone differently. “I regret not just continuing to be friends with her because we had a great friendship for such a long time, and her mom… it pissed me off,” he said.

Even so, Muniz said he would like to reconnect with Duff someday. “I would love to catch up with her,” he said, adding that he would also like to talk about what really happened during the Agent Cody Banks casting. “I’m sure she doesn’t know any of that happened,” he said.

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