Overview
- At her sold‑out Madison Square Garden show, Hilary Duff invited Good Charlotte onstage to perform “The Anthem,” a surprise moment that occurred on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
- Joel and Benji Madden joined Duff for the song, embraced her onstage and later posed backstage with Duff’s husband Matthew Koma and Joel’s wife Nicole Richie in photos shared on Instagram.
- Duff told the crowd she had taken her 5‑year‑old daughter Mae to the ER that morning for stitches and said Mae was now fine, calling her brave during the set.
- The cameo was teased by Duff wearing a vintage Good Charlotte T‑shirt and formed part of her Lucky Me Tour, which supports her 2026 album Luck… or Something and began in June.
- A small number of outlets noted the appearance coincided with reports of layoffs tied to the Maddens’ company Veeps, now part of Live Nation, but coverage presents that timing as a contemporaneous coincidence rather than a confirmed link.