Hilary Duff Returns to Stage in Surprise Appearance During Role Model’s ACL Set

04 October 2025

Hilary Duff at Milan Fashion Week in 2025; Role Model on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' in 2025. Credit: Daniele Venturelli/Getty; Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

At the Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 3, Hilary Duff made a shocking and joyous return to live performance when she joined artist Role Model on stage as his latest “Sally” during his song “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” What began as a routine set transformed into a moment of nostalgia and spectacle when Duff sprinted onto the stage, dancing alongside him and embracing in front of a roaring crowd. The moment was punctuated with a playful nod to her past: she uttered the line “This is what dreams are made of,” echoing her iconic 2003 track from The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

Duff’s appearance was met with immediate love from fans who erupted as she joined the singer. As she moved across the stage, she danced with warmth and confidence, waving to the crowd before exiting to sustained applause. Role Model introduced her cheekily as the latest “Sally,” framing the cameo as part of a tradition he’s cultivated during this song—each performance features a surprise guest who joins him in that moment of performance and connection.

That tradition has grown over time. Role Model, whose given name is Tucker Pillsbury, first began bringing out surprise “Sallys” as playful interludes in his shows. The concept evolved into a beloved fixture of his concerts, with past guests including Natalie Portman, Renée Rapp, Kate Hudson, Bowen Yang, and Olivia Rodrigo. Each guest adds a personal touch to the performance, bridging fandom with intimacy.

What made Duff’s appearance especially resonant is how it mirrors her own journey. After more than a decade away from the concert stage, she announced recently that she’s returning to music and will host a forthcoming docuseries chronicling her journey. Its themes include navigating the dual demands of reinvention and motherhood. With this surprise return, she gave a live preview of that promise.

Her return on stage didn’t just serve nostalgia it captured a symbolic full circle. Many in the audience recognized the layered meaning: a star who sprung from child acting and pop beginnings, now stepping back into the musical frame, invited into someone else’s moment yet reclaiming a sliver of her own. The dance, the laughter, the embrace all felt like a celebration of reinvention and reemergence.

Fashion and staging amplified the spectacle. Duff entered in casual festival style effortless yet charged with presence. The simplicity of her outfit contrasted with the magnitude of the moment, letting the return speak louder than any costume. Meanwhile, the stage energy was electric. The crowd, already primed for Role Model’s set, surged when Duff appeared. She moved with a mix of ease and intention, owning the moment as though it were hers.

For Role Model, this may rank among his most memorable “Sally” guests. In a set already elevated by his storytelling, melodic hooks, and playful banter, bringing Duff into the fold offered a connective thread between generations of pop culture. It reinforced his artistic ethos: performance as invitation, as disruption, as joy.

As for Duff, the cameo fires the signal that her return is more than symbolic. She is stepping back into the public musical realm, ready to be seen in new chapters. That she chose to reenter in someone else’s song, under the momentary anonymity of a surprise, shows humility and perhaps a sense of rebirth. It suggests she’s ready not just to play the lead role, but to dance among others again first.

It’s too soon to know what lies ahead how her musical voice will evolve, how the docuseries will frame her story, or how fans will receive new music. But this moment, lived live under festival lights, offers a compelling snapshot of what might come: presence, vulnerability, and reclamation.