Hilary Duff transformed her Madison Square Garden concert into a family affair Thursday night when her three young daughters joined her on stage for an unexpected pizza intermission during the second night of her Lucky Me tour performances.
Banks, 7, Mae, 5, and Townes, 2—Duff's daughters with husband Matthew Koma—appeared during a break in the 21-track set on August 6. The girls came out to share slices from Joe's Pizza, creating a spontaneous moment that resonated with the New York crowd.
Banks wore a bandana wrapped around her head with a white tank top and jeans, while Mae appeared in a red tank top and jeans. Both older sisters waved to the audience as their mother introduced them. The youngest, Townes—whom Duff affectionately called "Townsey Bear"—stayed close to her mother's side in a green tank top and pants, clutching a stuffed dinosaur.
When the audience playfully booed the Los Angeles family for eating the iconic New York pizza, Duff defended her hometown. "We also like pizza in L.A.," she told the crowd with a shrug, according to E! Online.
The singer shared her slice with Townes while her older daughters sampled their own pieces. Mae offered her honest assessment of the pizza: "It's good," the 5-year-old said, according to E! Online. "But it's cold."
The comment prompted laughter from the audience. Duff responded that she enjoys cold pizza before wrapping up the interlude by scooping Townes into her arms and ushering her daughters off stage. "I love you guys so much," she said, according to E! Online, "but if we're going to get to bed tonight can you guys take this pizza off the stage?"
As the former Lizzie McGuire star carried Townes off stage, she praised her daughters as the "best delivery girls."
The lighthearted appearance marked a quick recovery for Mae, who had been in the emergency room receiving stitches just hours before the first Madison Square Garden show on August 5. Duff revealed the medical visit to the crowd during her opening night performance.
"She's fine, it's all good," Duff assured the audience, according to E! Online, "but it's very 'our family' coded that I'd be playing my first night at MSG and also be in the emergency room getting my kid stitched up."
Though her daughters did not appear on stage during the first night, Duff gave Mae a special acknowledgment. "Mae Mae, you're very brave," she told the crowd, according to E! Online.
The 38-year-old singer is also mother to Luca, 14, from her previous marriage to Mike Comrie. The Madison Square Garden performances represent the conclusion of the North American portion of her Lucky Me tour before she heads to the United Kingdom next month.
Duff's return to touring follows the release of her album "luck ... or something" earlier this year, marking her re-entry into the music industry after focusing on acting and family life. The tour will continue into next year, and the singer has indicated she plans to refresh her setlist and surprise audiences with new material.
"I'm ready for my set list to change," Duff told People in April, according to E! Online. "I'm ready to surprise people with some of the songs that I'm going to be singing and my new music."
The singer has expressed appreciation for the enthusiastic reception from fans who have grown up alongside her career. She noted that the shared life experiences between herself and her audience create meaningful connections during performances.
"It's this very cool way to connect in our lives now — everyone's grown up, and we feel like we have a lot of the same life experiences," she told People, according to E! Online. "It's like more real-world s--t, and it's fun to mix those two together."
The Thursday night pizza moment demonstrated how Duff continues to blend her roles as performer and parent, bringing her family into her professional world while maintaining the spontaneity that has endeared her to audiences throughout her career.
