{"id":567534,"date":"2026-03-27T09:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T09:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/567534\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T09:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T09:42:08","slug":"embarrassing-miley-cyrus-truth-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/567534\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Embarrassing\u2019 Miley Cyrus truth revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

After spending 15 years putting distance between herself and Hannah Montana\u2019s famous blonde wig, Miley Cyrus<\/a> has returned to her roots (and put aside differences with her estranged father Billy Ray Cyrus) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the beloved Disney Channel character.<\/p>\n

Much like the 2021 Friends reunion, which saw the cast share memories and secrets from the show\u2019s epic run, father and daughter sat down with Call Her Daddy\u2019s Alex Cooper in front of a live studio audience to dish on their time as the titular Hannah Montana and her father Robby Ray Stewart.<\/p>\n

While Cyrus initially became synonymous with the squeaky-clean singer she portrayed from 2006 to 2011, in the 2019 Tubi documentary <\/a>Miley Cyrus: Unleashed<\/a> we learn that the star originally auditioned to play Hannah Montana\u2019s best friend. But the then 13-year-old\u2019s bubbly personality won over producers, and she was encouraged to take the lead.<\/p>\n

\"Miley<\/p>\n

Back when she was cast, her dad Billy Ray was the biggest celebrity in the Cyrus household, having made middle-aged ladies go weak at the knees with his 1992 boot-scootin\u2019 hit Achy Breaky Heart.<\/p>\n

In recent years the Cyrus clan has become fractured following Billy Ray\u2019s 2020 split from Cyrus\u2019 mum Tish Finley, and their divorce in 2022. Both have since moved on, with Billy Ray now loved up with Elizabeth Hurley and Tish remarried to Aussie Prison Break actor Dominic Purcell.<\/p>\n

One of six siblings, Cyrus was born into country music royalty (her godmother is Dolly Parton). Originally named Destiny Hope, it was her cheerful nature that earned her the nickname \u201cSmiley\u201d.<\/p>\n

Nepotism aside, performance was Smiley Miley\u2019s destiny, according to showbiz editor Martel Maxwell.<\/p>\n

Sharing a clip of Cyrus\u2019 official TV debut, in which the then two-year-old wheeled a toy pram across the stage during her dad\u2019s talk show appearance, Maxwell notes how the youngster showed no shyness, revelling in the applause and attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo not only was showbiz in her blood, it was all around her and there was always a feeling that a) she would be a good singer and b) she would want to do it,\u201d Maxwell explains.<\/p>\n

Thanks to her natural charisma and the doors that opened after Hannah Montana, Cyrus\u2019 success has now well and truly eclipsed her dad\u2019s one-hit-wonder fame and fortune.<\/p>\n

And unlike her TV alter ego Hannah Montana, there\u2019s no way that the mega-famous singer could go incognito with a blonde wig.<\/p>\n

\u201cHannah Montana premiered to the largest audience ever and Miley became a teen idol. She couldn\u2019t walk down the street without being recognised,\u201d Maxwell says in the doco.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was on posters around America and then the world. She was on bedsheets and packed lunch boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she grew older, Cyrus became increasingly eager to show the world that she was no longer the smiley gal on the Disney merchandise.<\/p>\n

She first caused controversy in 2008 by posing topless for famed photographer Annie Leibovitz (who shot Demi Moore\u2019s nude baby bump pictures).<\/p>\n

Parent groups were up in arms that the 15-year-old \u2013 who they claimed should be a role model to young audiences \u2013 would pose so provocatively. Responding to the outcry, Cyrus apologised saying: \u201cI feel so embarrassed. I never intended for this to happen and I apologise to my fans.\u201d Disney, meanwhile, accused Vanity Fair of taking advantage of a vulnerable teen, even though Cyrus\u2019 parents and minders had been on set for the shoot and told Leibovitz they thought it was a lovely portrait.<\/p>\n

By the time Hannah Montana drew to a close, Cyrus was champing at the bit for reinvention.<\/p>\n

Soon after becoming engaged to Aussie heart-throb Liam Hemsworth, she lopped off her signature brown mane, instead sporting a peroxide blonde pixie cut \u2013 which Maxwell believes was a sign she wanted to sever the chains of her child stardom. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt reminded me of the time Britney Spears really rebelled and shaved her hair off,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou often find that former child stars or stars who find fame when they are very young, they really struggle to adapt in their later years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then came Cyrus\u2019 now infamous 2013 MTV VMAs performance with Robin Thicke. <\/p>\n

Bumping and grinding with the Blurred Lines singer and a large foam finger, Cyrus left viewers with no doubt that Hannah Montana was all grown up.<\/p>\n

Twitter (now X) was awash with 360,000 mentions every minute of her performance, with gobsmacked fans and critics airing their views about the salacious stunt.<\/p>\n

At the time, she became the most tweeted person in history.<\/p>\n

The conversation didn\u2019t end there. Cyrus became a TV talk show hot topic, a person to banter about on radio, and made headlines around the world.<\/p>\n

Of course, this act paved the way for the wrecking ball-straddling, tongue-poking, tattooed, straight-shooting performer we all know and love today.<\/p>\n

Miley Cyrus: Unleashed<\/a><\/p>\n

Streaming, Tubi<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After spending 15 years putting distance between herself and Hannah Montana\u2019s famous blonde wig, Miley Cyrus has returned…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":567535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[2620,67688,2095,87111,279247,279245,64,63,279240,126647,279242,79482,39877,279244,279258,279243,447,279239,142418,279256,279254,73767,29494,8649,75482,96362,134,279237,279251,2105,279238,279241,279250,13856,2041,2067,279252,279259,279255,49475,279249,279253,279257,59408,279246,2614,279236,38891,226948,279248],"class_list":["post-567534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-alex-cooper","tag-america","tag-annie-leibovitz","tag-anniversary-special","tag-aside-differences","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-baby-bump-pictures","tag-billy-ray","tag-blonde-wig","tag-body-paint","tag-britney-spears","tag-bubbly-personality","tag-career-backflip","tag-cast-share-memories","tag-celebrities","tag-child-stardom","tag-child-stars","tag-country-music-royalty","tag-daughter-sat","tag-demi-moore","tag-disney-channel","tag-dolly-parton","tag-dominic-purcell","tag-elizabeth-hurley","tag-entertainment","tag-famous-blonde-wig","tag-foam-finger","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-host-alex","tag-live-studio-audience","tag-martel-maxwell","tag-miley-cyrus","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-nude-baby-bump","tag-one-hit-wonder-fame","tag-peroxide-blonde-pixie","tag-podcast-host","tag-putting-distance","tag-rita-panahi","tag-robby-ray-stewart","tag-robin-thicke","tag-smiley-gal","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-valerie-macon","tag-vanity-fair","tag-world-premiere","tag-wrecking-ball-straddling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=567534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/567535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=567534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=567534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=567534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}