Sorry Hannah Montana fans, Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus don’t appear to have the same tight relationship that they portrayed on screen for years.
Billy Ray and ex-wife Tish Cyrus welcomed daughter Miley (born Destiny Hope) in November 1992. While Billy Ray had a career of his own before his association with his daughter — “Achy Breaky Heart” topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart following its release — working on Hannah Montana introduced the singer to a new generation when starring as the fictional Miley and Robby Ray Stewart on Disney Channel from 2006 to 2011.
After the series wrapped , Billy Ray claimed that starring on Hannah Montana “destroyed” the Cyrus family. (Billy Ray and Tish separated and reconciled on various occasions before breaking up for good in April 2022.)
“I’d take it back in a second. For my family to be here and just everybody be OK, safe and sound and happy and normal would have been fantastic,” he told GQ in 2011. “Heck, yeah. I’d erase it all in a second if I could.”
The Cyrus Family Controversies Over the Years
Miley’s mom, Tish Cyrus, and eldest sister, Brandi Cyrus, later addressed Billy Ray’s past comment, noting they didn’t feel the same way.
“The family’s not destroyed, first of all,” Brandi said during a February 2024 appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “We’re doing great.”
Keep scrolling to look back at Miley and Billy Ray’s ups and downs over the years:
The ‘Hannah Montana’ Years
Billy Ray starred as Miley’s father on Hannah Montana for the duration of the Disney Channel show’s four seasons, even releasing the duet “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” in 2008. While Billy Ray admitted the show “destroyed” her family, Miley never exactly acknowledged his comments.
Their ‘Vanity Fair’ Cover
Miley and Billy Ray posed together for the Vanity Fair June 2008 cover. Hannah Montana fans will recall the photo of the father-daughter duo laying together in matching black shirts and jeans — or the controversial photo of Miley smiling with her bare back out as a white sheet covered her chest.
At the time, Miley spoke fondly of her parents when asked if she has to watch what she says and does.
“Not really. That’s what my parents are for,” Miley said. “They’re there to take care of that, and I can just do what I love.”
Unfollowing Billy Ray
Following Billy Ray and Tish’s 2022 divorce, eagle-eyed fans noticed that Miley unfollowed her father on Instagram. This action ignited feud rumors between the two. (Us Weekly confirmed that Miley still does not follow Billy Ray.)
Miley Gets Emotional About Billy Ray
In a series of TikTok videos to promote the release of her August 2023 single, “Used to Be Young,” Miley looked back on her childhood and got “emotional” while talking about her dad.
“My dad grew up the opposite of me, so I think that’s where me and my dad’s relationship to fame and success is wildly different,” she said at the time. “Him feeling loved by a big audience impacted him emotionally more than it ever could me. When he feels special or important it’s like healing a childhood wound and I’ve always been made to feel like a star.”
Billy Ray’s Marriage Drama
The rift between Miley and Billy Ray appeared to grow as he married Firerose — who is 27 years his junior — in October 2023.
The Cyrus Family: A Complete Guide to Miley, Noah, Billy Ray, Trace and More
Instead of supporting his marriage, Miley appears to be more on board with Tish’s marriage to Dominic Purcell. (Miley, Brandi Cyrus and Trace Cyrus were at Tish’s wedding while their siblings Noah Cyrus and Braison Cyrus did not attend.)
Miley’s 2024 Grammys Speech
Miley further fueled the rift rumors after winning Record of the Year for her song “Flowers,” when she seemingly left Billy Ray out of her acceptance speech. Miley named her mom, sister Brandi, boyfriend Maxx Morando and collaborators Thomas “Kid Harpoon” Hull, Michael Pollack, Brian Rajaratnam and Mark “Spike” Stent.
“Not everyone in the world will get a Grammy, but everyone in this world is spectacular. So please don’t think that this is important — Even though it’s very important, right, guys?” she added, naming her mom, sister and boyfriend. “We are very excited. I want to thank everyone who is standing on the stage. I don’t think I forgot anyone, but I might have forgotten underwear. Bye.”
Jokes About Inheriting ‘Narcissism’
During Miley’s June 2024 appearance on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, she told host David Letterman that mom Tish is “[her] hero,” but she has a more complicated relationship with Billy Ray.
“He’s almost given me this map, and it’s a map of what to do and what not to do, and he’s guided me on both,” Miley said. “Without my dad, I know … who I am as a person wouldn’t exist. Because my dad as a creative and like, as an artist, and the way his brain works has always made me feel safer in my own mind.”
She continued, joking: “I also inherited the narcissism from my father. I don’t know anything about my own siblings except for the part that I was doing. … I was moving to L.A., and that’s all I really knew.”
