Why Haylie Duff Never Made It As Big As Her Sister

Anyone who's watched Disney's Lizzie McGuire grew up watching a young Hilary Duff quickly become a teen idol. Duff became a household name and would skyrocket to stardom, working as a successful actress and a pop sensation when she released 2003's Metamorphosis, which gave fans hits like "So Yesterday" and "Come Clean," and had Rolling Stone naming her "Teenager of the Year." Duff then went from a bubblegum pop star to landing the cover of Maxim, where she was declared a "breakout sex symbol" (via Today). She was unstoppable in her heyday, even venturing into fashion, movies, and becoming a published author. 

But, why have fans forgotten about Hilary's older sister Haylie Duff? The sisters starred in the same movies together (anyone remember Material Girls?), and who could forget the duo's cover of The Go-Go's song, "Our Lips Are Sealed"? Why didn't Haylie receive the same recognition as Hilary? Taking a look back at both the star's long careers in Hollywood and their net worths, it's easy to see why Hilary has received a lot more praise than Haylie. The eldest Duff has definitely dabbled in the spotlight, but she found a totally different path that would set her aside from her little sister. Still, Haylie has always been given the label as the "lesser-known Duff" and has never made it as big as her sister, despite a switch in her career. 

As Haylie Duff continued to appear in minor roles throughout the 2000s, her younger sister Hilary was shifting her career from actress to pop superstar. In 2003, she released her album Metamorphosis, which sold almost four million copies and gave fans hits like "Come Clean" and "So Yesterday," per MySpace. She would become one of Hollywood's most hard-working teens, with The Oklahoman calling her a "teenage triple threat." With her success as a pop star, she would go back to working as an actress, starring in Agent Cody Banks and A Cinderella Story. 

Duff has even thanked her older sister Haylie for supporting her flourishing career. In an interview with CosmoGirl! magazine, she shared, "I've worked really hard — and it hasn't been just me. It's been a team effort with my entire family, including my sister, Haylie" (via Encyclopedia of World Biography).

While Hilary skyrocketed to fame, she explained to People that she and her sister are never competing against one another for fame. "No, we picked different things to do. And when we were auditioning and stuff, we'd be like, 'If I don't get it, I hope you get it! Or if you don't get it, I hope I get it!' You know? It was never ever like [competition].'" While Haylie accompanied Hilary on the song "Our Lips Are Sealed" for the movie, A Cinderella Story, Haylie's career as a singer was minor compared to that of her younger sister's. 

Haylie Duff took on roles in made-for-television and straight-to-DVD movies that really did nothing for her career. She starred in several Hallmark TV movies, including 2009's Love Takes Wing and Love Finds a Home and Christmas films like 2013's Christmas Belle and 2014's Naughty & Nice. She earned not-so-favorable comments from critics who called her Christmas films "predictable" and "unlikely to engage the kids," according to a Rotten Tomatoes review. 

Duff would also enter the world of horror and thriller when she starred in 2007's TV movie Nightmare, 2008's TV movie Backwoods and 2009's direct-to-video film Fear Island, which also starred Lucy Hale and Aaron Ashmore. Critics ripped the cast's acting abilities apart, stating, "Poorly acted, poorly presented, and completely telegraphed, Fear Island has extremely little to offer, in line with every other bottom barrel horror B-movie being squeezed out these days. Haylie Duff shows zero control of her emotions and flails through the laughable direction that is thrown her way."

Her television movie roles may have won the hearts of Hallmark Channel viewers, with Distractify calling her the "Hallmark Channel goddess," but it wouldn't propel her to the same fame as her younger sister, Hilary, who by 2015, had five studio albums under her belt and was hailed an inspiration to other Disney stars including Miley Cyrus, according to People. 

Haylie Duff made a big transition in her career when she started blogging at Real Girl's Kitchen in 2012, according to Tulsa World. Duff's food blog, which was created as a guide for grown-ups in the kitchen, did better than Duff expected. The actress told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that she started blogging about cooking when she wanted to share her turkey meatball recipe. "It happened by chance," Duff shared, adding, "The universe was pushing me in another direction. I thought OK, I'll put the meatballs on there and see if anyone reads it. It has turned into this awesome creative outlet for me."

Her blog became bigger than her acting career, and just one year later, she released her own cookbook, rightfully titled, Real Girl's Kitchen. She told E! that her cookbook was made to help people not feel intimidated with cooking, "I try to really make sure the ingredients, most of them are already in your pantry or fridge." Choosing to focus on her blog and cookbook really helped Duff set herself apart from her younger sister Hilary, who was busy starring in TV Land's Younger, her first television series since her appearance on Lizzie McGuire, according to CheatSheet. 

Haylie Duff took time off of her Cooking Channel show after only two seasons to focus on motherhood after giving birth to her first daughter, Ryan, in 2015 and welcoming her second daughter in 2018, named Lulu Gray, according to Us Weekly. At the time, Duff shared with Distractify that she was focusing on raising her family, stating, "I've mostly stepped away from everything a little bit because I was having a baby. Knock on wood it'll be my last ... I think so! I really wanted to enjoy that time with them."

Talking to the New Jersey Digest in 2017, Duff confessed that she struggled with balancing her career with motherhood, sharing, "Well honestly, the biggest challenge with balancing is balancing. I'm not always great at it, but I really try to separate the two ... It's hard for me to blend the two ... [Ryan's] always going to be the one that I choose, so sometimes that balancing isn't that simple." 

Duff and her sister, Hilary, have been supportive of one another more than ever since both sisters have welcomed children into their lives. Hilary is mother to her son Luca, who she shares with ex-husband Mike Comrie, a daughter named Banks, who she shares with current husband Matthew Koma, and, as of this writing, is currently expecting her third child in 2021, according to Us Weekly. 

Even with Haylie Duff making a switch in her career, from actress to chef and then clothing store owner, her net worth is much smaller than that of her younger sister, Hilary Duff. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Haylie has a net worth of $4 million, which is thanks to her work in various made-for-television movies, tv show appearances, her role in Napoleon Dynamite, her cookbook, as well as her Cooking Channel show. 

Hilary, on the other hand, has a net worth of $25 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, which she raked in thanks to her extensive resume in Hollywood, including the show that would make her a teen idol, Lizzie McGuire, where she earned $15,000 an episode. She has earned millions for her movie roles, making $2 million apiece for The Perfect Man, Raise Your Voice, and Material Girls. And, let's not forget her successful career as a pop star, where she has sold an estimated 15 million albums worldwide, which has also played a huge role in her current net worth. Duff has also continued to work in Hollywood, starring as Kelsey Peters in the TV series Younger.