Hilary Duff and Matthew Koma got in on the Halloween fun by dressing up as her ex Joel Madden and his twin brother, Benji Madden.
“Going as @benjaminadden and @joelmadden to a Halloween dinner with @joelmadden and @nicolerichie,” Koma, 37, wrote via Instagram Stories on Wednesday, October 30, alongside a photo of him and Duff, 37, rocking Joel, 45, and Benji’s signature black attire.
Duff’s friendship with her ex and Joel’s wife, Nicole Richie, has paved the way for Koma to poke fun at their history. Duff dated the Good Charlotte band member from 2005 to 2006 while they worked on her Most Wanted album. Joel went on to find love with Richie, 43, whom he married in 2010. The couple share two children: Harlow, 16, and Sparrow, 14.
“Every girl I’ve ever dated I have respect for, and I always try to leave them on good terms,” Joel said during a 2007 interview with People. “I don’t see the necessity to be friends with anyone you’ve dated but definitely out of respect of the time, you have to be kind of respectful and that’s what I try to do.”
At the time, Joel addressed the controversy around the nine-year age gap between him and Duff as well, adding, “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.”
Joel Madden and Hilary Duff. Djamilla Rosa Cochran/WireImage
Duff started dating Koma in 2017 after her marriage to Mike Comrie ended. Duff — who shares 11-year-old son Luca with the former NHL player — wed Koma in 2019. They expanded their family in 2018 with daughter Banks and in 2021 with daughter Mae. Their third daughter, Townes, arrived in May.
Joel isn’t the only one who has addressed his and Duff’s past romance. The former Disney star reflected on the bond she shares with Joel and Richie just last year. “I have a good relationship with their whole family,” Duff said during a January 2023 appearance on Watch What Happens Live. “We actually hang out all the time.”
Love lost doesn’t mean friendship lost for these friendly exes! Take a look at ex-lovers such as Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie, and Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon, who have maintained close relationships even after splitting up.
She continued: “I was just in [Richie’s] driveway, honking for her to come drink wine with us the other day. But now we get them to hike together all the time. And you know what? It’s lovely.”
The actress clarified that her husband is not phased by their friendship, noting, “My husband is a giant troll, it’s one of my favorite things about him. Right when they moved in, for some reason Matt photoshopped a picture of Joel and [brother Benji] in a photo with me on Valentine’s Day with like, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day, honey.’”
Duff also addressed her controversial relationship with Joel during a 2016 episode of “The Love Bomb” podcast, calling it an “intense” experience, saying, “It was so all-encompassing. It was so intense. It was my life. It was like every minute of my day. It was pretty major.”
