Hilary Duff swears the cigarette she was caught holding outside Rock & Reilly’s Irish Pub on Friday belonged to a friend, but most people aren’t buying it.

For some reason, the idea that Duff might be a smoker is causing an uproar online, especially on Twitter. Perhaps it’s because she’s a new mom, or that she’s so young. Or maybe it’s because we can’t look at her and not see the adorable Lizzie McGuire she used to be.

Whatever the reason, fans aren’t happy about it and caused Hilary to apologize via Twitter:

The pic looks like a chick smoking a cigarette to me, but you be the judge.

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Duff has been in the news recently for various reasons; as a new mom, of course everyone is interested in when she’s going to lose that five pounds of “baby fat” she’s got going on. But more importantly, Duff is being sued for a car accident that occurred in 2010.

A woman by the name of Rachel Owens says that Duff plowed into her car in December of 2010 and the accident caused her physical and mental anguish, keeping her from earning a paycheck as well. Why she’s choosing now to file a suit is not known.

Image credit: Wireimage