Actress Christina Ricci has publicly agreed with a social media user who labeled Joel Madden's past relationship with Hilary Duff as "grooming." The comment surfaced on Threads in response to a post about Madden and Duff reuniting on stage during one of Duff's recent concerts.
Madden, 47, and Duff, 38, dated between 2004 and 2006. Their relationship began when Madden was 25 and Duff was 16, an age gap that drew public attention at the time. The pair have maintained a friendship since their split.
Ricci, known for her roles in "The Addams Family" and "Yellowjackets," replied "Yeah seriously wtf?" to a user's comment that stated, "No we are not going to normalize a grown man grooming a teenager."
Duff's recent song "Mature" appears to reflect on this past relationship, with lyrics referencing an age-gap romance and a younger version of herself. In a Vogue interview about the track, Duff described it as being about a "brief experience" from a long time ago, though not entirely autobiographical. She stated the song was a "conversation that my present self is having with my younger self," reflecting on a past experience and sending love.
In a 2005 interview with Cosmopolitan, resurfaced after the release of "Mature," Duff confirmed the boyfriend in question was 26 years old when she was 16, alluding to Madden. She also reflected on the breakup, calling the relationship "all-encompassing" and stating it "wrecked me for a good year and a half."
Madden, who went on to marry Nicole Richie in 2010, previously told People magazine that he "did right" by Duff during their relationship. "People can say or think whatever they want... so in my reality, it's kind of irrelevant," he stated. "I'm always the kind of person that does the right thing and keeps my side of the street clean."
Duff told Ryan Seacrest in 2007 that their breakup was not due to a fight but rather "just time for people to move on and do different things." She added that they "still have a great relationship, which is really good and unusual."
Despite the past controversy and subsequent public discussion, Madden and Duff, along with their respective spouses Nicole Richie and Matthew Koma, have maintained friendly relations, often seen on double dates. In 2024, Duff and Koma even dressed as Madden and his brother Benji Madden for Halloween, a tribute that Madden shared on social media, writing, "Protect @matthewkoma and @hilaryduff at all costs."