LOS ANGELES – Singer Miley Cyrus has built a reputation on raw and raspy pop anthems such as Wrecking Ball (2013), Party In The USA (2009) and her Grammy-winning hit Flowers (2024).
But the 33-year-old American former child star has not forgotten that it all began with Hannah Montana (2006 to 2011), the wholesome Disney Channel sitcom that launched her career when she was 13.
And she looks back fondly on the series – and its profound impact on her life – in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, a documentary streaming on Disney+.
Filmed before a live studio audience, the hour-long retrospective features musical performances by Cyrus, cast reunions and never-before-seen archival footage from the show.
Miley Cyrus in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.
PHOTO: DISNEY+
The latter revolved around Miley Stewart (Cyrus) – a high-school student living a double life as a blonde-wigged pop star named Hannah Montana – and blended slapstick humour, original songs and gentle life lessons.
The special also features a sit-down interview with Cyrus – the daughter of 64-year-old American country singer Billy Ray Cyrus – as she revisits key moments, music and memories from the series.
Speaking at the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special’s Los Angeles premiere in March, she reveals she felt totally out of her depth when she moved from Tennessee to Los Angeles to start filming Hannah Montana, a role she first auditioned for at age 11 – and won despite having little experience.
“Everything in my life is so amazing because Disney took a chance on me,” says Cyrus, whose sister Noah Cyrus, 26, is also a singer, songwriter and actress. “I had no business coming out to LA thinking that I could carry a show or pretend to be a pop star.”
“I had no experience. I had done some theatre before – they always made me play a dude because of the husky voice – but besides that, I was pretty much a virgin,” says the star, who is engaged to Maxx Morando, a 27-year-old American drummer and fashion designer.
Miley Cyrus (right) and fiance Maxx Morando at the world premiere of the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special in Hollywood, California, on March 23, 2026.
PHOTO: AFP
But she gives full credit to the fans for making Hannah Montana a global pop culture phenomenon and ratings smash.
It ran for four seasons and spawned three hit soundtrack albums, a 2008 concert film and 2009’s Hannah Montana: The Movie, as well as sold-out tours, video games and a slew of merchandise.
Cyrus believes her success then and now has been a result of the effort, the loyalty and the support of the fans, says the entertainer. She shed her kid-friendly image two years after the series ended with her provocative pop album Bangerz (2013).
And the Hannah Montana franchise still has cultural pull today.
Miley Cyrus in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.
PHOTO: DISNEY+
The special hit 6.3 million views within the first three days of its March 24 premiere on Disney+.
Viewing numbers for the original show rose by 1,000 per cent that week, and Disney says it has been streamed for more than 500 million hours in total.
Cyrus says making the special also brought her closer to fans – and gave her a taste of what they have experienced.
“Now, I get to be a part of it in a way that I never could when I was in the middle of everything.
“Being Hannah, I might be the only one in this room that never got to go to a Hannah Montana concert – because I was the Hannah Montana concert,” she explains.
Miley Cyrus in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.
PHOTO: DISNEY+
“But now, I understand why it was so much fun to go to one of Hannah’s shows, dress like her, wear the wig, wear the scarf.
“That’s what it felt like for me to celebrate Hannah Montana from the other side.”
And she feels the show still lives on.
“I love saying what it is, not what it was.
“Tonight isn’t about looking back into the past. It’s about what it means to us still, not just for you as fans, but also for us that got to be a part of it.”
Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special is available on Disney+.