Hilary Duff is putting years of speculation to rest. The singer and actor confirmed that her new track “We Don’t Talk” draws directly from her estrangement with older sister Haylie Duff.
During a candid conversation on CBS Mornings with Anthony Mason, Duff acknowledged what many listeners had already suspected. Yes, the song is about her sister.
“Yeah, it is. It’s definitely about my sister,” Duff said, describing the record as a necessary release. Writing and performing it, she explained, felt restorative. The honesty wasn’t meant to provoke; it was meant to process.
Turning Pain Into a Chorus
“We Don’t Talk” appears on Duff’s new album, “luck… or something.” When she first performed the track in London last month, fans quickly zeroed in on lyrics that hint at sibling tension. Lines referencing jealousy and longing to “get back to how we were as kids” fueled online chatter that the song addressed a personal rift.
In the CBS interview, Duff didn’t shy away from the emotional weight behind it.
“Just absolutely the most lonely part of my existence is not having my sister in my life at the moment,” she said, growing visibly emotional.
She added that including the song on the album was not an easy decision. For a time, she considered leaving it off the tracklist. Ultimately, she chose to keep it because it reflects her lived experience. “It’s literally just my experience,” she said. “I’m not trying to say anything bad.”
Duff also admitted she’s unsure whether Haylie will hear the song, or how she might respond if she does. Repairing the relationship, she suggested, will require more than a three-minute ballad. “I think I have to just exist as a person on my own and do what I want to do,” she said.
Years of Distance
The sisters, once frequent red carpet companions, have not been photographed together publicly since 2019. They also appear absent from one another’s social media feeds. Over the years, rumors have swirled about the cause of the divide, ranging from political disagreements to alleged tension between Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma, and Haylie’s spouse, Matthew Rosenberg. Neither sister has publicly confirmed those claims.
Back in November, Duff hinted at “family drama” during an interview with Rolling Stone while discussing her return to music after nearly two decades. She said she finally felt secure enough within her family dynamic to step back into songwriting with openness.
That openness now defines “We Don’t Talk.” Rather than frame the situation as a feud, Duff describes it as grief, the ache of missing someone who once felt inseparable.
For listeners, the track resonates because it taps into a universal experience: loving someone deeply while living apart from them. For Duff, it marks a boundary. The story is hers to tell, even if it remains unresolved.
Whether reconciliation is in the cards remains unclear. What is certain is this: Duff is no longer avoiding the silence. She’s singing through it.
