Hilary Duff's Career Might Have Taken a Different Turn If She hadn't Been Fired from a Show at 11
In an interview for Variety's "Know Their Lyrics" video series, Hilary Duff revealed that getting fired from an unnamed TV show at the age of 11 led to her breakout role on Disney's hit series Lizzie McGuire. The show helped launch Duff's acting and singing career.
According to Duff, she had been cast in a TV show but was abruptly replaced with twins so the production could work longer hours without violating child labor laws. "I got fired," Duff said, laughing. "[I was] 11 years old, and I got fired from a job. It was absolutely devastating."
Duff explained that her manager had initially told her she would be staying in Los Angeles to pursue acting opportunities. However, when the TV show's production team expressed interest in having her rejoin them, Duff made the difficult decision to return home to Texas to be a "normal kid" once again.
That's when Disney called, offering her the lead role on Lizzie McGuire, which became a massive success and catapulted Duff into stardom. The show premiered in 2001 and ran for four seasons, establishing Duff as a household name.
Duff recently released her first album in over a decade, titled Luck… or Something, which is set to drop on February 20, 2026. The album marks her return to music after a hiatus focused on acting, with roles in TV shows like Younger and How I Met Your Father.
The lead single from the album, "Mature," was released earlier this month and is co-produced by Duff's husband, Matthew Koma. In an interview about the song, Duff explained that it's about a brief romance she had with someone older and serves as an inner conversation where she talks to her past self.
Duff's decision to return to music comes after taking a break from the industry to focus on other pursuits. However, it seems that getting fired from that 11-year-old job might have been the spark that reignited her passion for music, leading to this highly anticipated comeback album.
In an interview for Variety's "Know Their Lyrics" video series, Hilary Duff revealed that getting fired from an unnamed TV show at the age of 11 led to her breakout role on Disney's hit series Lizzie McGuire. The show helped launch Duff's acting and singing career.
According to Duff, she had been cast in a TV show but was abruptly replaced with twins so the production could work longer hours without violating child labor laws. "I got fired," Duff said, laughing. "[I was] 11 years old, and I got fired from a job. It was absolutely devastating."
Duff explained that her manager had initially told her she would be staying in Los Angeles to pursue acting opportunities. However, when the TV show's production team expressed interest in having her rejoin them, Duff made the difficult decision to return home to Texas to be a "normal kid" once again.
That's when Disney called, offering her the lead role on Lizzie McGuire, which became a massive success and catapulted Duff into stardom. The show premiered in 2001 and ran for four seasons, establishing Duff as a household name.
Duff recently released her first album in over a decade, titled Luck… or Something, which is set to drop on February 20, 2026. The album marks her return to music after a hiatus focused on acting, with roles in TV shows like Younger and How I Met Your Father.
The lead single from the album, "Mature," was released earlier this month and is co-produced by Duff's husband, Matthew Koma. In an interview about the song, Duff explained that it's about a brief romance she had with someone older and serves as an inner conversation where she talks to her past self.
Duff's decision to return to music comes after taking a break from the industry to focus on other pursuits. However, it seems that getting fired from that 11-year-old job might have been the spark that reignited her passion for music, leading to this highly anticipated comeback album.
what's child labor laws again? like is it a thing where kids can't work too much? 
and lol Hilary Duff was 11 when she got fired from that show... that's crazy! 
I love Lizzie McGuire though, who didn't watch that show growing up? 
my sister still has her old Disney merch collection from back in the day 
anyway, I'm super excited for Hilary Duff's new album, have you listened to any of the singles yet? 
, but instead, she turned that supposed "defeat" into an opportunity to rediscover her passion for music 
. It's almost as if that event was the catalyst needed to reignite her spark 
. And we all know how well she did after that 
. I mean, can you imagine a world where we don't have Lizzie McGuire or even Hilary Duff herself? Mind-boggling thought! 
That's some tough love right there... I guess it's good she got a second chance and made the most of it. It's kinda cool that it led to her big break on Lizzie McGuire, but also kinda sad that she had to be "fired" in the first place 
. I mean, getting fired from a show and then being told you'd be staying in LA is like, totally harsh 
!