Business
Hilary Duff Defends Mother Susan as ‘Supportive’ After Frankie Muniz Called Her ‘Super Intense’ Stage Mom
Hilary Duff came to the defense of her mother and former manager, Susan Duff, on Monday, March 16, 2026, insisting she was “never pushed” into acting and describing their close working relationship as largely positive, despite recent resurfaced comments from her former costar Frankie Muniz labeling Susan “super intense” and the “epitome of a stage mom.”
In an exclusive interview with People magazine, Duff addressed the long-standing tension stemming from Muniz’s October 2025 podcast appearance, where he detailed how Susan’s involvement during the casting and production of their 2003 film “Agent Cody Banks” strained — and ultimately ended — his friendship with Duff.
“I was never pushed into acting,” Duff said firmly. “My mom was my manager, and it was nice having her at work — for better or for worse. She was supportive, and I loved having that security.”
The comments mark Duff’s first public response to Muniz’s remarks, which gained renewed attention in recent weeks amid ongoing discussions about child stardom and parental involvement in Hollywood. Duff emphasized that her entry into the industry felt organic and driven by her own interests.
Susan Duff, who managed both Hilary and her older sister Haylie’s careers, moved the family from Texas to California when Hilary was 6 to pursue show business opportunities. Hilary’s breakthrough came with the Disney Channel series “Lizzie McGuire” in 2001, followed by the “Agent Cody Banks” spy comedy, where she starred opposite Muniz.
Muniz, now 40, recounted on “The Joe Vulpis Podcast” last fall that he and Duff had been close friends during their early Hollywood days. He described Duff as “so cool” and said they had “an awesome relationship.” However, he claimed Susan interfered when he casually mentioned the “Agent Cody Banks” audition to her while visiting Duff’s dressing room on the “Lizzie McGuire” set.
Muniz said Susan aggressively pursued the role for her daughter, contacting casting directors and pushing for Hilary’s involvement. He called her actions overstepping and “intense,” attributing the fallout to that incident.
“I look back at it now, and I go like: ‘What a dumb…’ I regret not just continuing to be friends with her,” Muniz said in the podcast. “We were friends. We had a great friendship for such a long time. And I let her mom… It pissed me off.”
He added that he hasn’t spoken to Duff since the last day of filming “Agent Cody Banks” in 2002, a silence spanning more than two decades. “I’ve never talked to Hilary since the last day of filming. I’ve not said one word to her since then.”
Muniz expressed regret over allowing the situation to sever their bond, noting he would “love to catch up” and discuss it openly, believing Duff may be unaware of the full details.
Duff’s defense arrives as she reflects on her own experiences as a child actor and now as a mother of four. In the People interview, she highlighted the balance of having family involved in her professional life, acknowledging it wasn’t always perfect but rejecting the notion of coercion.
“My mom believed in me, and that meant a lot,” Duff said. “I chose this path, and she helped guide it. There were tough moments, sure, but I don’t look back with resentment.”
The exchange revives conversations about stage parents in entertainment, a topic that has drawn scrutiny in recent years with accounts from former child stars about pressure, boundaries and long-term impacts. Muniz, who stepped away from acting for years to pursue racing and other interests before returning, has spoken candidly about his own industry’s challenges, including advising his son against entering show business.
Duff, 38, has maintained a steady career trajectory, transitioning from teen idol to actress, singer, entrepreneur and reality TV personality. She recently starred in projects and continues to release music, with her holiday hits and classic tracks remaining popular.
Neither Duff nor Muniz indicated plans for a public reconciliation, though Muniz’s expressed desire to reconnect leaves the door open. Representatives for both declined further comment beyond the published interviews.
The resurfacing of the decades-old anecdote underscores how past Hollywood experiences continue to shape public perceptions of child stardom. For Duff, the moment served as an opportunity to affirm her agency in her career and credit her mother’s role without apology.
As Duff promotes ongoing ventures and family life, her measured response highlights a nuanced view of the support system that propelled her to fame — one she views as protective rather than overbearing.
The Kalshi market “Will Iran effectively close the Strait of Hormuz for 7+ days?” appears on a smartphone screen, with the Kalshi logo displayed on a laptop computer screen in the background, in this photo illustration taken in Chania, Greece, March 9, 2026.
Nikolas Kokovlis | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Arizona’s attorney general has filed misdemeanor criminal charges against Kalshi, accusing the predictions platform of running an illegal gambling and election wagering operation in the state.
These are the first criminal charges to have been filed against Kalshi, though the company is embroiled in multiple lawsuits and investigations and has received dozens of cease-and-desist letters across the nation.
Prediction platforms like Kalshi have drawn comparisons to online sports gambling as they allow users to wager on the outcomes of events in pop culture, politics, sports and more.
Multiple states have argued that legalizing and regulating sports betting is under the jurisdiction of local regulators and outside the authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates event contracts and the prediction markets.
States including Michigan and Massachusetts have filed civil lawsuits aimed at stopping operations or compelling Kalshi to meet gambling license requirements.
In the Arizona filing, Attorney General Kris Mayes charged Kalshi with 20 counts of accepting various bets in Arizona without a license, including wagers on state elections, which is separately and explicitly forbidden under Arizona law.
“No company gets to decide for itself which laws to follow,” Mayes said in a statement.
Kalshi draws distinctions between the event contracts it offers and what sportsbooks and casinos offer.
“Sadly, a state can file criminal charges on paper thin arguments,” the company said in a statement to CNBC. “States like Arizona want to individually regulate a nationwide financial exchange, and are trying every trick in the book to do it. As other courts have recognized and the CFTC affirms, Kalshi is subject to federal jurisdiction.”
Last week, Kalshi filed for a preliminary injunction to try and keep Arizona from enforcing its state laws.
On Tuesday, federal judge Michael Liburdi denied Kalshi’s request for a temporary restraining order and ordered Kalshi to demonstrate why the case should be in federal court given the state charges against Kalshi.
Kalshi has preemptively sued to stop other states from taking punitive action, a strategy Mayes described as bullying states, “running to federal court to try and avoid accountability.”
Gaming attorney Daniel Wallach meticulously tracks suits and countersuits against the predictions platforms. He described the preemptive lawsuits as Kalshi’s modus operandi.
“That ‘win the race to the courthouse’ strategy has proven to be an effective tactic thus far,” Wallach said, pointing to Kalshi’s legal victories in getting preliminary injunctions in New Jersey and Tennessee.
Wallach is not involved in any of Kalshi’s legal disputes.
Still, the Arizona attorney general’s office highlighted Kalshi’s recent loss for a preliminary injunction against Ohio, in which federal judge Sarah Morrison said Kalshi’s concerns were “dwarfed by Ohio’s interest in exercising its police power, enforcing its duly-enacted laws, and regulating sports gambling to promote the public welfare.”
CFTC Chair Michael Selig recently told CNBC the agency would require the prediction platforms, which currently self-certify, to do a better job of restricting event contracts that encourage manipulation, like, for instance, questions of whether an athlete would suffer an injury.
A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives that would prohibit event contracts on sports, unless a state were to specifically permit it. The bill would also ban entirely prediction markets on elections and government actions.
As lawmakers, regulators and courts grapple with defining what gambling is, 61% of Americans report they view event contracts on prediction markets more like gambling than investing, according to a poll released Tuesday by Ipsos and the American Institute for Boys and Men.
Disclosure: CNBC and Kalshi have a commercial relationship that includes a CNBC minority investment.
Lululemon offered a weak 2026 outlook on Tuesday as tariffs, higher expenses and a dramatic proxy battle with its founder weigh on its bottom line.
The athleisure company’s guidance for both the current quarter and the fiscal year came in lower than expected on the top and bottom lines.
Lululemon is expecting first quarter sales to be between $2.40 billion and $2.43 billion, weaker than estimates of $2.47 billion, according to LSEG. It anticipates earnings per share will range between $1.63 and $1.68, also weaker than estimates of $2.07.
For the full year, Lululemon is expecting sales to be between $11.35 billion and $11.50 billion, below expectations of $11.52 billion. Earnings guidance of $12.10 to $12.30 per share was also far weaker than estimates of $12.58.
“The work is really underway in terms of our action plan, and we’re really focused on the importance of course correcting on a number of fronts,” interim co-CEO Meghan Frank told CNBC in an interview. “We’ve got a new creative director, his first line is hitting in Q1, we are seeing some green shoots, I would say, from the product in Q1 so we’re excited about some of the momentum we have on that line item. We have had some great response from some of our recent product activations, and then we’re also reducing our speed to market timeline.”
During Lululemon’s holiday quarter, the company beat estimates on both the top and bottom lines, though Wall Street had lowered its expectations for the period in recent months.
Here’s how the Vancouver-based retailer performed during its fiscal fourth quarter compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: $5.01 vs. $4.78 expected
- Revenue: $3.64 billion vs. $3.58 billion expected
The company’s net income for the three-month period that ended Feb. 1 was $586.9 million, or $5.01 per share, compared with $748.4 million, or $6.14 per share, a year earlier.
Sales rose slightly to $3.64 billion, up about 1% from $3.61 billion a year earlier.
Lululemon raised its fiscal fourth-quarter guidance during the ICR conference in Orlando earlier this year, so all eyes were on the company’s 2026 guidance following more than a year of underperformance.
The retailer, always considered a premium brand that rarely offered promotions, had been leaning on discounts to drive sales and move inventory. The company is now working to pull back that strategy this year, Frank said. Lululemon expects the move will weigh on sales in the near term, but it will bring the company back to a full-price business over time, she said.
Meanwhile, it’s seeing a number of pressures on its bottom line. Higher tariffs and the end of the de minimis exemption continue to be a major cost for the company.
This year, Lululemon expects tariffs to cost the company $380 million, up from $275 million last year, on a gross basis. Once mitigation efforts are taken into account, the net impact is expected to be $220 million in 2026, up from $213 million in 2025.
Lululemon has been negotiating with suppliers and taking other actions to reduce its exposure to tariffs, but it isn’t increasing prices to offset the added costs, especially as it looked to promotions to drive sales in recent months. The brand was already priced toward the high end of the market prior to President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes last year, leaving it with fewer tools in its arsenal to offset the duties, especially as it faces intense competition and a slowdown in the athleisure market.
Last year, the company raised prices on a select number of items. Shoppers are still responding favorably so far, but there are no plans to build on those increases for now, said Frank.
Beyond tariffs, the company is also seeing higher expenses from marketing, labor, incentives and costs related to its proxy contest with founder Chip Wilson. Wilson, Lululemon’s largest independent shareholder, has been pressuring the company to make changes to its board of directors and has criticized it for losing sight of its creative vision.
Just before releasing earnings, Lululemon announced it was adding former Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh to its board of directors. Bergh was not among the candidates Wilson put forward for consideration, but he does have considerable public company experience and spent around 13 years as Levi’s CEO. During his tenure with the company, Levi began pursuing a more profitable direct selling strategy and sales rose by around 30%.
As part of the announcement, Lululemon said board member David Mussafer, managing partner and chairman of private equity firm Advent, will not stand for re-election during the company’s upcoming 2026 shareholder meeting at the conclusion of his current three-year term. The announcement marks a win for Wilson, who has criticized Mussafer publicly. In a letter to shareholders last month, Wilson pointed out that Mussafer was overseeing the board’s interview process for prospective nominees at a time when he was up for election, creating a potential conflict of interest.
A source familiar with the matter said Wilson had called on Mussafer to step down from the board because he lacks independent leadership, among other issues.
Mussafer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prior to the earnings announcement, Wilson issued a statement saying shareholders will be “critically evaluating” any claims of success or improvement from Lululemon when it released results.
“The core issue at lululemon is one the Company has struggled with for years: there is a disconnect between the Company’s creative engine and the Board’s understanding for how brand power and product excellence fuel cultural strength, margin durability and long-term shareholder value,” he said.
Lululemon declined to comment.
While parts of Lululemon’s business are still growing, it has primarily seen that expansion in China and in other international regions, which make up a fraction of overall revenue. Same-store sales in its largest region, the Americas, haven’t grown in around two years, and Lululemon is expecting another year of declines in 2026.
The company said it expects sales in the Americas to decline between 1% and 3% in 2026.
Meanwhile, sales in China are expected to grow around 20%, and the rest of the world by a mid-teens percentage.
Tomohiko Sano
JPMorgan Chase & Co, Research Division
All right. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining Valmont Industries sessions. This is Tomohiko Sano, SMID cap industrials analyst at JPMorgan. With me, we have Avner Applbaum, President and CEO; Thomas Liguori, Executive Vice President and CFO, Renee Campbell, SVP, Capital Markets and Risk. So thank you, Avner, Tom and Renee for joining today.
So before we begin, I want to highlight why Valmont Industries is such a key participant of this conference. As a global leader in infrastructure and agriculture solutions, Valmont sits at the intersection of the powerful megatrends, electrification, grid modernization and food security, with a record backlog and disciplined capital allocations driving sustainable growth and margin expansions.
So Renee, to kick things off, I think it would be great to start with introductions to Valmont, like who they are — who you are and then like what you do with the stories, please?
Renee Campbell
Senior VP of Capital Markets & Risk and Treasurer
Perfect. Thank you, Tomo. And thanks very much again for having us here today. Good afternoon, everybody. Before we begin, I just want to briefly note that today’s discussion will include forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, and please refer to our SEC filings on our website for a discussion of those risk factors.
So with that, for those of you who may be less familiar
The New York Times Mini Crossword for Tuesday, March 17, 2026, offered a brisk yet clever challenge with a mix of pop culture, everyday phrases and tech references that kept solvers engaged in the daily brain teaser.
Released at midnight Eastern Time, the bite-sized puzzle — featuring a compact 5×5 grid with just 10 clues — drew praise for its balanced difficulty and timely themes. Players across time zones, including those in Seoul where the puzzle became available around 1 p.m. local time on March 17, raced to complete it and maintain streaks on the NYT Games app or website.
The Mini, edited by Joel Fagliano, has grown in popularity since its 2014 launch as a faster alternative to the full daily crossword. Tuesday’s edition rewarded quick thinking with straightforward wordplay and a few gentle misdirections.
Here are the complete clues, hints and answers for the March 17, 2026, NYT Mini Crossword:
**Across Clues and Answers**
– 1A: One drawing X’s and O’s — **COACH** (Hint: Think sports sideline role plotting plays with diagrams.)
– 5A: Company whose market cap (~$4 trillion) exceeds the G.D.P. of most countries — **APPLE** (Hint: Tech giant known for iPhones, with massive valuation.)
– 6A: Green gemstone — **JADE** (Hint: Prized mineral often carved into ornaments.)
– 7A: “The Phantom of the ____” — **OPERA** (Hint: Classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical title completion.)
– 8A: What’s the deal? — **CARDS** (Hint: Slang for “What’s going on?” or literal poker reference.)
**Down Clues and Answers**
– 1D: Like some chicken dishes (spicy hint) — **SPICY** (Hint: Describes jerk chicken or vindaloo heat level; note: some sources cross-referenced similar clues from nearby dates.)
– 2D: Capital of Vietnam — **HANOI** (Hint: Northern Vietnamese city known for Old Quarter.)
– 3D: Waiter’s handout — **MENU** (Hint: List of dishes presented at restaurants.)
– 4D: “___, queen!” — **YAS** (Hint: Enthusiastic slang affirmation popularized in drag culture and social media.)
The puzzle intersected neatly, with intersecting letters confirming solutions quickly for most players. Average completion times hovered around 30-60 seconds for experts, while newcomers appreciated the hints available in the app.
Wordplay highlights included the tech-economic nod to **APPLE**’s valuation, reflecting real-world headlines about Big Tech dominance. The **COACH** clue delivered a light sports touch, and **YAS** added modern slang flair that resonated with younger solvers.
The NYT Games platform reported high engagement for the March 17 puzzle, with thousands sharing completion screenshots on social media. No major controversies or unusually tricky clues emerged, unlike some recent Minis that stumped players with obscure references.
For those who finished early, the app offered stats tracking, including personal bests and global leaderboards. The Mini remains free to play with limited daily access, while subscribers unlock unlimited puzzles, including archives.
The puzzle’s release coincided with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in many regions, though no overt Irish themes appeared — a contrast to some holiday-timed editions featuring shamrocks or leprechauns.
Solvers praised the grid’s symmetry and flow. Interlocking words like **JADE** crossing **OPERA** and **APPLE** provided satisfying “aha” moments without excessive frustration.
As part of the broader NYT Games ecosystem — including Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee and the full crossword — the Mini serves as an accessible entry point. Its brevity appeals to commuters, coffee-break enthusiasts and those building crossword confidence.
Tuesday’s edition exemplified why the Mini endures: quick satisfaction, clever construction and broad appeal. With no rebus squares or advanced wordplay, it prioritized fun over fiendishness.
Players who missed it can access archives via subscription, while tomorrow’s puzzle promises fresh challenges. The NYT encourages feedback through the app to refine future editions.
The March 17, 2026, Mini reinforced the format’s status as a daily ritual for millions, blending mental exercise with entertainment in under a minute.
US judge questions ’shifting’ defense of Trump ballroom project
Brian Schiegg no longer with frozen food company.
Nvidia stock was rising early on Monday ahead of its hotly anticipated GTC developer conference.
Nvidia shares were up 1.9% at $183.67 in premarket trading. The stock has been range-bound for months and investors are hoping product and partnership announcements made at the conference –which starts Monday and continues to Thursday– will finally reignite the chip maker’s rally.
BNP Paribas Equity Research senior analyst David O’Connor expects more details on Nvidia’s next-generation of chip architecture, named “Feynman” and expected to launch in 2028. He is also looking for potential news of a processor specifically designed for inference –generating output from artificial–intelligence models– and plans to increase the use of optical networking technology.
Unknown Analyst
Thank you so much for Join us. I wanted to really thank the Dauch team for being such a good partner from my 20 years at Bank of America. You’ve been involved from the debt and equity side, always with the investor focus. With us from Dauch, we’re joined David Dauch, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; and Chris May, Executive Vice President and CFO, and they’re joined by an extraordinary IR team, led by David Lim and Joe Pudlik, which I’m not sure if we’ve met yet, but I’m looking forward to talking in the future. The Dauch Corporation is kind of special to my heart because in 1998, when I first started, it was the very first plant that I visited was an American Axle plant. And I’m really thinking like, wow, this plant is so clean and auto industry is so great.
And then I visited about 10 other plants after that, and I realized like that plant was different, the first one I saw, how organized it was. So I recommend anyone starting in the auto industry to take a look at one of the Dauch plants, and they’re pretty special. So with that, I want to thank them again and thank the audience for being here. And why don’t we turn it over to Alex to kick up the first question.
Operation accounts for about $350 million in net sales.
Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
Amazon announced Tuesday that customers in select locations can now receive even faster deliveries in as little as one or three hours for an additional fee.
The e-commerce giant noted that Prime members benefit from significantly lower service costs than non-members for the ultra-fast delivery option.
Members will pay $9.99 for the one-hour delivery and $4.99 for the three-hour option. Meanwhile, customers without a membership will pay $19.99 for the one-hour shipping and $14.99 for the three-hour alternative.
“These new delivery options save customers time by bringing the selection typically available in local supercenters straight to their doorsteps,” the company said.
MAJOR TECH COMPANIES BACK TRUMP PLEDGE TO PAY MORE FOR DATA CENTER ELECTRICITY AHEAD OF SIGNING
An Amazon Prime Now Delivery employee delivers packages in New York City. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
According to the Seattle-based company, the one-hour delivery option is already available in hundreds of U.S. cities and towns, while the three-hour window has expanded to more than 2,000 locations.
The one-hour option is available in several major and smaller cities, including Los Angeles; Chicago; Houston; Washington, D.C.; Nashville; Oklahoma City; Des Moines in Iowa; Boise in Idaho; and American Fork in Utah.
The broader three-hour delivery network covers large, mid-size and smaller cities, as well as surrounding suburbs, including Cornwall, Pennsylvania; Harrah, Oklahoma; and Arabi, Louisiana.
GOOGLE COMMITS $1B TO NORTH CAROLINA DATA CENTERS AS AI DEMAND SURGES
Amazon has launched ultra-fast one-hour and three-hour delivery options. (Amazon)
Customers can find eligible items using the app’s new “In 1 Hour” and “In 3 Hours” search filters. The company’s user interface and dedicated storefront page also highlight items that qualify for one- and three-hour delivery. Shoppers can also confirm exactly which options are available in their area by visiting www.amazon.com/getitfast.
Both accelerated shipping tiers will be available for more than 90,000 products, including everyday essentials and retail items such as pantry goods, beauty products, over-the-counter medications, electronics, toys, clothing, and home and garden supplies.
The faster delivery options reportedly leverage predictive AI inventory placement algorithms — which help forecast customer demand and strategically position products — alongside Amazon’s existing Same-Day Delivery sites, locations that already act as highly efficient all-in-one fulfillment hubs.
Robots at the Amazon Robotics Innovation Hub during a Delivering the Future event in Westborough, Mass., Nov. 10, 2022. (M Scott Brauer/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Amazon is also testing a service called “Amazon Now” in select locations to offer everyday essentials and fresh grocery items in 30 minutes or less.
The service, which was launched in December 2025, is available in parts of Seattle and Philadelphia.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 215.20 | +3.46 | +1.63% |
Prime members can expect discounted delivery fees starting at $3.99 per order, while non-Prime customers pay $13.99.
FOX Business reached out to Amazon for more information.
Shoe-Sized Dolphin Robot Swims Straight Into Oil Spills and Pulls Them Clean Out
XRP IS NEVER GOING TO $0 – PRIVATE PAYMENTS ON XRPL – EXCHANGES COULD SOON FREEZE YOUR CRYPTO!
What to know about the blackouts and deepening crisis in Cuba
-
Tech7 days agoA 1,300-Pound NASA Spacecraft To Re-Enter Earth’s Atmosphere
-
Crypto World4 days agoHYPE Token Enters Net Deflation as HyperCore Buybacks Outpace Staking Rewards
-
Fashion4 days agoWeekend Open Thread: Addict Lip Glow
-
Tech2 days agoYour Legally Registered ‘Motorcycle’ Might Not Count Under Proposed US Law
-
Sports3 days ago
Why Duke and Michigan Are Dead Even Entering Selection Sunday
-
NewsBeat6 days agoResidents reaction as Shildon murder probe enters second day
-
Business2 days agoSearch for Savannah Guthrie’s Mother Enters Seventh Week with No Arrests
-
Business7 days agoSearch Enters Sixth Week With New Leads in Tucson Abduction Case
-
Sports6 days agoPWHL, Senators discussing plan to keep Charge in Ottawa
-
Business3 days agoUS Airports Launch Donation Drives for Unpaid TSA Workers as Partial Government Shutdown Enters Fifth Week
-
Tech5 hours agoAre Split Spacebars the Next Big Gaming Keyboard Trend?
-
Crypto World3 days ago
Coinbase and Bybit in Investment Talks: Could Bybit Finally Enter the US Crypto Market?
-
NewsBeat6 days agoI Entered The Manosphere. Nothing Could Prepare Me For What I Found.
-
Business3 days agoCountry star Brantley Gilbert enters growing non-alcoholic beer market
-
Business1 day agoAustralian shares drop as Iran war enters third week
-
Tech7 days agoClarity as strategy
-
Sports4 days agoCollege Basketball Best Bets: Conference Tournament Semifinal Picks
-
Crypto World1 day agoCrypto Lender BlockFills Enters Chapter 11 with Up to $500M in Liabilities
-
Politics7 days agoTrump Says Middle East Is ‘Very Lucky’ That He’s President
-
Crypto World6 days agoThree Binance Charts May Be Hinting at Bitcoin’s Next Move
You must be logged in to post a comment Login