The final break in their relationship, according to Muniz, occurred around the time they filmed Agent Cody Banks. Muniz pinpointed the root of the conflict to Duff’s mother, Susan Duff, whom he described as the “epitome of a stage mom” and “super intense.”

Muniz claimed the studio cast Duff as the female lead in Agent Cody Banks without his or his team’s knowledge or approval. He believes the decision was orchestrated after Susan Duff had an awkward encounter with him on the set of Lizzie McGuire, where she inquired about his upcoming movie.

“Supposedly calls were made, and they knew Hilary and I were really close… so they just assumed it was fine,” Muniz stated, expressing his frustration that the studio went around him. “It wasn’t because I didn’t want it to be Hilary, but because the studio went around me. And I let her mom… it pissed me off.”

More Than Two Decades of Silence

The tension on the set of Agent Cody Banks solidified the end of their connection. Muniz confirmed that the awkwardness surrounding the casting and the prior dating element contributed to the complete cessation of contact.

“I’ve never talked to Hilary since the last day of filming. I’ve not said one word to her since then,” he admitted.

Despite the long silence, Muniz expressed deep regret over letting the situation with Duff’s mother destroy a meaningful friendship. He added that he “would love to catch up with her” and mend the rift, suggesting that Duff herself may not even be aware of the behind-the-scenes drama that caused the fallout.

This revelation offers a candid glimpse into the often-complex, high-pressure world of child stardom and the lingering consequences of parental involvement.

Sounds Like Frankie Muniz Needs to Call Hilary Duff

Frankie Muniz Says Leaving Hollywood at the ‘Height’ of Fame ‘Saved My Life’

The ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ star got candid about why moving away from Los Angeles and starting fresh in Arizona was a life-changing decision for him

NEED TO KNOW

Frankie Muniz is looking back at his life-changing decision to leave Hollywood.

The former child star, 39, spent a chunk of his early life filming hit movies and shows like Malcolm in the Middle and Agent Cody Banks. He recalled how from “ages 8 and 21, I maybe had 60 days off,” and it started to take a toll on him, he told Us Weekly in a Sept. 3 interview.

While his decision to ultimately leave Los Angeles in 2008 and start fresh in Arizona came at the peak of his career, Muniz said the move actually “saved” his life.

“Honestly, I did not like L.A. So I moved to Arizona, and I love it,” he told the outlet. “I feel like it saved my life in the sense that I started enjoying the little aspects of life more, like hiking [and] going to the grocery store, because it was easy.”

While he admits to sometimes considering how his life might be different if he didn’t leave the acting scene — telling his agents and managers at the time, “Don’t call me” — he still believes he’s exactly where he’s meant to be.

“I’m so lucky taking that step back happened, because it made me appreciate everything more,” he added. “It allowed me to do other things and realize a lot more about myself.”

Muniz is now based in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he lives with his wife of nearly six years, Paige Muniz, and their 3-year-old son, Mauz Mosley.

After moving to Arizona, Muniz had more time to focus on pivoting to a new career: professional race car driving. The actor, who began racing in 2004 and started his professional career in 2006, is now a full-time driver for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Reaume Brothers Racing, PEOPLE previously reported.

During an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in February, Muniz got candid about achieving his goal of becoming a full-time professional driver, especially after he experienced a crash in 2009 that left him with a broken back.

“I never thought I would get to where I am now, especially since I got badly hurt in 2009 and didn’t race anything until 2023,” he said at the time.

Muniz also opened up to PEOPLE about his family life, and how his son Mauz was a big reason why he got behind the wheel again following his injury.

“I went back to racing with him in mind,” he said, adding, “I wanted him to see me striving for something that’s difficult.”

Of fatherhood, he shared, “I love it. I am always striving to be the best dad I can be. I think I am a good dad, but I always feel like I can be better. So just trying to be there.”

 

Despite his success in his new field, Muniz is not giving up acting altogether.

In fact, Disney+ revealed in December that Muniz and his Malcolm in the Middle parents Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek were going to reunite for a limited, four-episode revival of the beloved sitcom, which originally aired from 2000 to 2006.

Frankie Muniz Is Sorry About How He Treated Hilary Duff

Nostalgia is a heck of a drug. It’s why Disney+ has been pouring cash down the drain with Star Wars series after Star Wars series. However, the streamer may have struck gold with the Malcolm in the Middle revival set to arrive sometime in 2026. The project is being kept at an extremely tight four episodes, but already, interest is through the roof.

Over the weekend, former child star Frankie Muniz shared a photo of himself reuniting with his on-screen brothers Justin Berfield and Christopher Masterson (not the bad one). This thing exploded. I’ll let you in on a little secret: The internet is powered by naughty stuff and boomers wanting to see what old TV stars look like now. Don’t ask me how I know.

With interest in the Malcolm revival in full swing, Muniz is making the podcast rounds, where he’s being remarkably candid about his child-star days. One wrong he’d like to set right is how he treated a former friend and co-star, Hilary Duff. But before we go any further, if some of you remember The Superficial days, this will not be a post about how I live in the bushes outside of her house. I don’t write like that anymore. People change, except on Tuesdays when I collect the dryer lint from her exhaust vent. (See? Look what nostalgia made me do. Maybe five people understood that bit, and three of them are action figures on my desk.)

Anyway, while appearing on The Joe Vulpis Podcast, Muniz opened up about how things went south between him and Duff after working together on Agent Cody Banks. Before the film, the two were close friends thanks to blowing up at roughly the same time with Malcolm and Lizzie McQuire launching within a year of each other. They were tight until Duff’s mom reportedly pulled a shady move that screwed Kristin Kreuk out of the Cody Banks role that went to Duff. Is this what sent Kreuk into the arms of a cult? Probably not, but it is a rumor I’m going to start right now. Look what you did, Hilary Duff’s mom!

Via Variety:

“We became really, really good friends. We had a really great relationship for a long time,” Muniz remembered. “I was on the set of ‘Lizzie McGuire,’ and I was in Hilary’s dressing room and her mom was there… Her mom was like, ‘Do you know what you’re doing this summer? What are you doing this summer?’ And I go, ‘Oh, I’m filming this movie where I’m playing like a junior James Bond.’”Muniz said he told Duff’s mom all about “Agent Cody Banks,” and she allegedly responded by asking if the movie had a female lead yet. According to Muniz, the production was already interested in casting “Smallville” star Kristin Kreuk opposite him, and he “really thought” Cody’s love interest, Natalie Connors, would be played by her when he read the script. Plans suddenly changed, however. Muniz said the next time he spoke to Duff’s mother (which was the very next morning), she was informing him that Duff had already been cast.

“Her mom’s like, ‘Guess what? We’re going to be spending the summer together … she’s doing “Cody Banks” with you … They signed the contract last night,’” Muniz said, adding that he was shocked and remembered thinking: “The movie you knew nothing about yesterday?”

While all of this sounds like Stage Mom Conniving 101, Muniz readily admits that his ego was also a factor. The young actor was supposed to have casting approval, so he did not love that Hilary Duff’s mom snaked her way in, which led to him not speaking to Duff after the film. (She notably did not return for the sequel.) To this day, Muniz doesn’t even think Hilary knows what happened, and he’d love the chance to reconnect and mend their friendship.

And that’s the story of why Malcolm in the Middle iced out Lizzie McGuire because her mom screwed over Lana from Smallville for some early 2000s slop. (That’s right. We didn’t need streaming back then. We threw slop into theaters with our own bare hands.) The End.