Disney Comebacks: Hilary Duff Joins Stars Reviving Careers After Struggles

They were the stars of our childhood, responsible for bringing to life the hit films, TV shows and catchy tunes of the Disney Channel during the mid 2000s. 

Known by millions as Lizzie McGuire singing What Dreams Are Made Of at the Trevi Fountain, last week Hilary Duff made her return to the music industry as she released her first single in a decade. 

Meanwhile Lindsay Lohan has been described as having her ‘Lohaissance’ as she returns to Hollywood after retreating from the spotlight. 

The actress went from being America’s sweetheart as a Disney star to experiencing many turbulent years in the public eye – becoming a tabloid regular for her party girl ways and battles with addiction. 

However fans went wild for the return of Freakier Friday in the summer as Lindsay hit the red carpet with her on screen mum Jamie Lee Curtis for the franchise’s hotly anticipated return. 

And there was further call for rejoice when The Jonas Brothers announced the return of Camp Rock 3, with Demi Lovato joining the team as an executive producer. 

The brothers are also fronting their own Christmas film this festive period as they return to the streaming channel that put them on the map. 

But it hasn’t always been easy for the teen stars and as well as highly publicised success the stars have overcome battles with addiction, mental health, divorce and family feuds. 

Hilary Duff 

She was one of the faces of old school Disney, playing the iconic Lizzie McGuire in both the series and 2003 hit movie. 

And Hilary Duff spent the mid-2000s as a major box office draw with films like A Cinderella Story, Cheaper By The Dozen and The Perfect Man. 

Verging into singing, she also became one of the biggest pop stars of the 2000s with two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 with Metamorphosis and Most Wanted.

Touring the world multiple times, her biggest hits include Come Clean, So Yesterday, Wake Up, With Love, Why Not, and Sparks.

However since the release of her last album Breathe In Breathe Out in 2015, Hilary has taken a step away from the studio and the stage to focus on her acting career and motherhood.

And earlier this week she admitted ‘family drama’ played a part in her years away from music after years of speculation that she and her sister Haylie Duff, 40, had fallen out.

Since 2019, the once inseparable siblings have not been photographed publicly and appear to have little online interaction with one another.

The rumored feud between the sisters reportedly stems from tension involving Hilary’s husband, Matthew Koma, and Haylie’s fiancé, Matthew Rosenberg.

Celebrity gossip outlet DeuxMoi previously claimed the men ‘don’t get along,’ leading to strain between the Duff sisters, though neither has ever publicly addressed the alleged distance in their relationship.

Last week Hilary made her music return with her new single Mature, about a man who only dates younger women. 

Appearing on Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast, she reflected on how her life and priorities have shifted over the years amid her return to the studio.

‘Obviously, it’s taken a lot of twists and turns and ups and downs and all of those things, but I have this crazy connection with fans that I’ve known since I was nine, ten years old, and I just want to connect with them again.’

‘We have gone through a lot of the same things – whether that’s complicated relationships, anxiety, raising kids, divorces, trying to find yourself in adulthood, family drama… Finally I felt safe enough and comfortable in my own family to step outside and open that part of myself up again,’ she said.

Prior to the new release, sources told DailyMail.com that the mom-of-four was ‘nervous’ about releasing new music, but feels that now is the perfect time to stage her comeback.

Hilary’s team encouraged her return, believing there’s enough ‘millennial nostalgia’ right now that she has a real shot at getting back on the charts.

‘All the girls from Hilary’s era are thriving. Lindsay Lohan’s acting career is back on track, Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan just did a song together. Even Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton have dropped new albums. There’s no better time than now for Hilary to come back,’ the insider said.

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsey Lohan rose to fame as a child star and went on to nab major roles throughout her teenage years, including in 2003’s Freaky Friday and Mean Girls.

However, she then faced widely publicised struggles, including multiple arrests for DUI, theft, and cocaine possession, as well as several stints in rehab that sidelined her Hollywood career.

Gaining her big break in Freaky Friday when she was just 16-years-old, Lindsay’s career took a dive as she spent years battling addiction causing her to be thrown off movie sets, kicked out of roles, and forced to cancel appearances.

Despite attending a 30 day rehab programme in 2007, in March of that year the star was arrested for drinking and driving after she crashed her Mercedes-Benz into a curb in Beverly Hills, California.

She then checked herself into a treatment center, where she stayed for 45 days. 

However, two weeks after leaving the facility, she was arrested again for a DUI, as well as cocaine possession and driving with a suspended license.

Over the course of the next four years, Lindsay spent more than 250 days in rehab and was arrested 20 different times – including four times for breaking her probation. 

However, she spent less than two weeks in jail in total, and was put on house arrest for 35 days from all of her legal troubles.

After a string of critically-panned roles, she decided to pursue other endeavors instead. She opened a nightclub in Athens, Greece, in 2016, followed by a successful beach resort on the Greek island Mykonos.

Around that time, she also decided to give up her life in Hollywood and relocate to Dubai, which she called a ‘fresh start’ to Emirates Women in a 2018 interview.

‘Moving here was a fresh start,’ she said. ‘You hear more about real current events rather than celebrity gossip, which I really appreciate.’

The former child star added that her lifestyle in Dubai was quite the opposite of that in LA, and that she was thoroughly enjoying stepping away from the spotlight to live a ‘normal life.’

In 2020, Lindsay found love with Bader Shammas, a wealthy financier who works for Credit Suisse and hails from one of Dubai’s ruling families.

By then, a friend of the actress revealed, Lindsay had done a lot of therapy and was ‘ready to settle down’.

The pair said ‘I do’ in 2022 and went on to welcome their son Luai – which means ‘protector’ or ‘shield’ in Arabic – the following year.

However Lindsay has now made a comeback to the spotlight, in what is being dubbed the ‘Lohanaissance’ – or Lindsay’s second act in Hollywood. 

In August she reunited with her on-screen mother Jamie Lee Curtis for the return of Freakier Friday more than 20 years after the original. 

Known for her rom coms back in the day, the star has also tapped into the Netflix market with a two-picture deal for films Irish Wish and Our Little Secret.

It came after she dipped her toe back into movies starring in the 2022 effort Falling For Christmas, with one critic branding it her ‘best work in years.’

Jonas Brothers 

Brothers Joe, Nick and Kevin were just teenagers when they left their small town life in New Jersey to begin working on their first studio album in 2005.

By 2007, the group was signed to Disney’s Hollywood Records and they debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart with their track, Year 3000.

They broke out globally after starring in the 2008 Disney Channel movie, Camp Rock, alongside Demi Lovato.

The brothers became well known for all wearing purity rings, signifying their intent to stay virgins until they get married.

They released two more albums; A Little Bit Longer (2008) and Lines, Vines and Trying Times (2009).

After each of the brothers went off for their solo ventures, any hopes of a reunion were dashed after the trio famously fell out in 2013 and refused to speak to each other. 

Reflecting on the fall out in 2019, Joe said: ‘In 2013, we all wanted to create something on our own and were just trying to force it into what was going on.

‘We were going through the motions, without the heart of it … The way we communicated to each other wasn’t healthy anymore.’

However after moving on from their differences the band returned to the spotlight, releasing further albums Happiness Begins, The Album and Greetings from Your Hometown in 2019, 2023 and 2025 respectively. 

Similarly Joe has experienced turmoil in his personal life after a bitter year-long divorce battle with his ex wife Sophie Turner. 

After months of split rumors, Joe filed for divorce from Sophie in September 2023 and their war over custody and money made headlines worldwide until finally settling a year later. 

Yet as his personal life faced difficulties, the band embarked on their Five Albums. One Night tour as they celebrated their impressive catalogue of hits. 

And now the threesome have returned with their very own Christmas film, A Very Jonas Christmas Movie – which will premiere on Disney + on November 14.  

The movie sees the brothers travel from London to New York, but nothing will go to plan as they face a series of obstacles as they try to return to their families for December 25. 

Including new music, their first single Coming Home This Christmas featuring Kenny G is already available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and YouTube Music. 

Demi Lovato  

The Jonas Brothers are also set to reprise their roles from Disney classic Camp Rock as they return for the third instalment of the franchise. 

The musicians starred in the original movie and its sequel alongside Demi Lovato who played the protagonist Mitchie Torres. 

Beginning her career as a child on the hit show Barney & Friends, Camp Rock ultimately propelled Demi into a new level of fame and she became a household name and landed her own show Sonny With A Chance.

However the actress turned singer has faced her fair share of demons over the years, battling drug addiction, mental health illness and an eating disorder.

In 2018 she suffered a near fatal overdose after taking OxyContin that she believes was laced with fentanyl. 

The overdose led to long-term complications, including partial vision loss and partial hearing loss. She also had three strokes and a heart attack while in the hospital.

‘I was left with brain damage, and I still deal with the effects of that today. I don’t drive a car, because I have blind spots on my vision,’ she said in 2021 at a panel for her Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil documentary, via People.

‘And I also for a long time had a really hard time reading. It was a big deal when I was able to read out of a book, which was like two months later because my vision was so blurry,’ she added.

The former child star has previously spoken out about her eating disorder and distorted body image perception as well as treatment she underwent. 

She previously revealed how her management would only allow her to eat a watermelon cake for her birthday to encourage weight loss and a slimmer figure. 

She later told CBS Sunday Morning: ‘I didn’t control any of my life at that period of time every time I was in a hotel room my phone was taken out of the room so I couldn’t order room service.’

However Demi has now completely turned her life around after getting sober and in May she married her musician boyfriend Jordan Lutes. 

Her most recent album It’s Not That Deep was released last month with critics praising the record and Rolling Stone giving it four out of five stars. 

And while Demi isn’t returning to Camp Rock 3 with a on screen role, instead she is taking on the role of executive producer. 

Hinting at her return, Demi joined The Jonas Brothers on stage at their Rutherford, New Jersey concert ahead of the announcement as they performed Wouldn’t Change a Thing from the Disney film. 

Demi later took to her Instagram Story to react to the Camp Rock news as she penned: ‘Another one but make it camp!! Good luck to this next class of campers.’