Happy belated birthday to Joel Madden! Among the birthday messages that the Good Charlotte frontman received, one of the best came from Hilary Duff’s husband Matthew Koma, who decided to joke about the fact that Joel, 44, and Hilary, 35, used to date, on his Instagram Stories on Saturday, March 11. It was still clear that Joel and Matthew, 35, have a tight friendship though!
In a series of stories, Matthew spoke about his close friendship with Joel, sharing some fond memories. He shared photos of the two of them at a party, walking dogs together, and, a sign that read “Matt + Joel 4eva,” before he got to the punchline, sharing a throwback photo of Hilary and Joel from when they dated. “Happy birthday… Grateful for you and our friendship,” he wrote in two of the slides, per Just Jared. “It’s not even that weird that you dated my wife, @joelmadden. It just makes me feel closer to you.”
The final photo that Matthew shared was a shot of himself and Joel’s wife Nicole Richie. He was holding a pink Stratocaster guitar, while wearing a shower cap. He was sitting on what appeared to be a bed, while Nicole struck a pose while sitting on the floor next to him. “Also, now feels like a good time to tell you about me and your wife,” he joked.
Joel clearly got a kick out of the posts and reshared some of them to his Instagram Story, with a sweet message and photo of himself and Nicole: “We love you Matt,” he wrote, per People.
It’s clear that Joel and Hilary have remained on good terms. The pair dated from July 2004, until November 2006, when the actress was still starring on the beloved Disney sitcom Lizzie McGuire. In the years after the split, it’s been clear that the Good Charlotte rocker and his wife have become close friends with Hilary and Matthew. The two couples were even spotted on a group date along with Pulse Music Group founder Josh Abraham and his wife, as well as Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz and his partner Meagan Camper, in February 2022.
