Christina Ricci Has Beef With the Hilary Duff-Joel Madden Reunion

12 Aug 2026, 14:36 by Chrissy Stockton · Thought Catalog

Evan Agostini / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Updated 4 minutes ago, August 12, 2026

Hilary Duff surprised fans with a blast from the past at an August 5 show at Madison Square Garden. She brought out Joel Madden and his twin brother, Benji Madden, for a performance of Good Charlotte’s “The Anthem,” with Duff changing into a vintage Good Charlotte T-shirt before the performance.

Joel Madden (left) and twin brother Benji flank Hilary Duff in the press room at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards in Miami — the pair were dating at the time, with Duff 16 and Joel 25. Photo by Evan Agostini / Getty Images.

Duff was 16 when she started dating Joel Madden. He was 25. An intimate relationship between them would have been illegal in California and 30 other states.

26-year-old Joel Madden attends a Cosmo Girl party with his 17-year-old girlfriend, Hilary Duff, in 2005.

On stage, she called the brothers “two of my dearest friends” and “day oners.” Backstage, it was a family night: Duff, husband Matthew Koma, Joel and his wife Nicole Richie all together.

Cute? Christina Ricci doesn’t think so.

Duff and Madden in 2006.

Hello magazine posted about the reunion in a warm, nostalgic tone, noting the two dated “when she was 16 and he was 25” and now live happy separate lives with their spouses.

The account @ask_aubry pushed back: “No we are not going to normalize a grown man grooming a teenager.” Ricci, replying under her @riccigrams handle, added: “Yeah seriously wtf?”

Christina Ricci attends the 5th Annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on October 18, 2025, wearing an off-the-shoulder black ruffled gown and carrying a sculptural gold-handled bag. Photo by Amy Sussman / Getty Images.

Duff has spoken positively about Madden. The families are neighbors.

Back in 2007, Joel addressed his 2-year relationship with Duff to PEOPLE, saying, “People can say or think whatever they want … so in my reality, it’s kind of irrelevant. I’m always the kind of person that does the right thing and keeps my side of the street clean.”

Fans are split on whether it’s possible for a 25-year-old to date a 16-year-old without it being nefarious.

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