THE RUNDOWN
Miley Cyrus’s parents Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus will both be appearing on the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.
Miley and her father Billy Ray both starred in the Disney series, but they were estranged for several years following a complex family feud.
Billy Ray Cyrus has exprsessed has previously said he regrets getting involved with the series as a parent, the father and daughter are now reunited.
Tonight, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus is joining his daughter Miley on the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special. It’s a sweet reunion, but for followers of the complex Cyrus family feud, its one that wouldn’t have seemed possible just a handful of years ago.
Over the years Miley Cyrus has spoken highly of how her parents Billy and Tish took care of her during her Hannah Montana years. “My dad was on set every single day,” Cyrus told Variety. “So there was nothing that could happen that he wouldn’t know about.” She added that her parents also financially protected her, something not every child star can say. “My parents didn’t need me to be famous to survive or to be stable,” she said. “What happens to a lot of these kids is their parents want it more than they do, or the kids become responsible for the entire income of the family. That was never my job. Every penny I ever made went into my bank account because my parents were good.”
Despite their positive working relationship, Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus were estranged for years following the end of the Hannah Montana TV series and a complex family feud. Their well-documented rift is dated to Miley Cyrus’s parents’ divorce in 2022, but you could just as well say it dates back to the first days of Hannah Montana. The father and daughter reconciled in early 2025, but the Cyrus family drama remains almost as complex as the Beckhams’. Below, we unpack why Miley Cyrus’s parents joining her for the special is so meaningful.
Related: How To Watch The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special In Australia
2006: Hannah Montana
From 2006 to 2011, Hannah Montana was the crown jewel of the Disney Channel empire, turning Miley into one of the most famous child stars in history. Billy Ray played a fictionalised version of himself — a retired country singer managing his daughter’s pop star double life — a role Tish convinced Disney to cast him in when a casting director reportedly joked they couldn’t afford Miley’s real dad. “Oh, maybe you can,” she quipped.
Life soon began to imitate art as fans embraced the show, and Miley Cyrus’s star rose.
Image: Getty Billy Ray Cyrus with Miley in 1994.
2011: Billy Ray Cyrus’s GQ Interview
In 2011, Billy Ray Cyrus gave a candid interview in a now-infamous GQ profile in which he was blunt about the toll the show had taken on his family life. Sitting alone in his Tennessee mansion, shortly after filing for divorce from Tish, Billy Ray expounded on the show’s legacy. “Oh, it’s huge — it destroyed my family. I’ll tell you right now — the damn show destroyed my family.” Asked if he wished it had never happened, he replied: “I hate to say it, but yes, I do. Yeah. I’d take it back in a second.”
Cyrus also expressed guilt about the way he had parented Miley during her years on Hannah Montana. “I should have been a better parent. I should have said, ‘Enough is enough — it’s getting dangerous and somebody’s going to get hurt.’ I should have, but I didn’t. Honestly, I didn’t know the ball was out of bounds until it was way up in the stands somewhere.” The interview painted a picture of a man who felt sidelined by his famous daughter’s handlers, used as a PR shield whenever Miley hit the tabloids, and shut out of her life. When a video of Miley smoking salvia out of a bong seemed to leak and he tried to intervene, Cyrus said he was told it was “none of his business.” “None of my business! I’m her daddy!”
2013: Tish Cyrus Files For Divorce
Tish Cyrus initially filed for divorce from Billy Ray in June 2013, but the couple reconciled one month later — and would stay together another nine years.
2022: Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus Divorce
In 2022, the Cyrus family’s struggles became public when Billy Ray and Tish divorced. Miley explained on the Reclaiming podcast that she had “a lot of loyalty” to her mum, which led to a “really difficult” period of family separation. As she later told The New York Times, she had “taken on some of my mum’s hurt” amid the divorce, driving a wedge between her and her father. At the 2024 Grammy Awards, rumours that Miley was estranged from her father intensified after she failed to mention him during her acceptance speech and called her mother a “hero” months later.
Years later, on the Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky podcast, Miley described the situation plainly. “Half of us weren’t speaking to each other at one point,” she said, noting that she felt “a lot of loyalty” to her mum amid the end of her and Billy Ray’s 27-year marriage. She added, “In that situation, I watched what happens when you don’t clean things up as they’re happening.”
2023: Billy Ray Cyrus Marries Firerose
Tish moved on swiftly, marrying Prison Break actor Dominic Purcell (59) in 2023. Miley and her older siblings Brandi (38) and Trace (37) were present at the wedding, but her younger siblings Braison (31) and Noah (26) were not.
Billy Ray’s next chapter was considerably messier. He married Australian singer Firerose in October 2023, and the union unravelled within seven months. In June 2024, he filed for an annulment citing irreconcilable differences and “inappropriate marital conduct.” The divorce proceedings were acrimonious: as per Page Six, Firerose accused Billy Ray of “extreme verbal, emotional and psychological abuse,” while Billy Ray alleged she had made nearly $97,000 in unauthorised charges on his accounts and had actively tried to drive a wedge between him and his children. Firerose’s parents came forward to defend Billy Ray, denying allegations he had tried to cut her off from her family.
Image: Getty Billy Ray, Miley and Tish Cyrus reunited.
Adding further fuel, leaked audio of Billy Ray and Firerose arguing went viral in July 2024. In the recording, first published by the Daily Mail, Billy Ray could be heard berating Firerose, calling her a “selfish b—h,” before the audio cut to him seemingly talking about his family — during which, while appearing to refer to his children, he said “everyone knows devil’s a skank.” While some reports claimed this was directed at Miley, a source told Fox News Digital that the comment was not in reference to his daughter — and Billy Ray’s team alleged the audio had been edited together from separate conversations. Miley’s response was wordless but pointed: on the same day the recordings surfaced, she posted a photo embracing her mother Tish to Instagram.
2025: Trace Cyrus Makes an Emotional Public Appeal
In January 2025, the family drama reached new heights when Billy Ray gave a technically plagued performance at President Donald Trump’s inauguration Liberty Ball — his guitar cut out mid-song, leaving him to sing an a cappella rendition of “Achy Breaky Heart” to widespread ridicule online. Days later, his adopted son Trace Cyrus (35) published an open letter on Instagram that stopped just short of a public intervention. “Since my earliest memories all I can remember is being obsessed with you and thinking you were the coolest person ever,” Trace wrote. “Sadly the man that I wanted so desperately to be just like I barely recognise now.” He added that the whole family had been “genuinely worried” about Billy Ray for years, that he had pushed them all away, and that younger sister Noah, 26, had “desperately wanted” her father to be part of her life to no avail. Rather than reaching out directly, Billy Ray responded by contacting a family member to inform Trace he was pursuing legal action against him for the post.
Image: Getty Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus in 2006.
2025: Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Reconcile
In 2025, Miley wrote a song called “Secrets” for her father — a peace offering featuring Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac, her dad’s favourite band. In the song she sings: “Call off all your forces / A white flag in the war.”
Billy Ray wrote on Instagram that he cried when he heard it. “One great song can do more for the soul than a million therapy sessions.” Miley told CBS Sunday Morning: “My dad cried. Everyone I say that to, they go, ‘I remember when my dad cried.’ You don’t see your dad cry a lot.”
By May 2025, Miley broke her silence about the family rift on Instagram, writing: “My dad and I have had our challenges over the years. Now, in my thirties, family is my priority above all else. I’m at peace knowing bridges have been built and time has done a lot of healing.”
2025–2026: Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special
This brings us to the father-daughter appearance on the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special. Since his split from Firerose, life seems to have been considerably calmer for Billy Ray. He started dating British actress Elizabeth Hurley (60), going Instagram official on Easter Sunday 2025 when Hurley shared a photo of the couple captioned “Happy Easter ♥️.” When Miley announced her engagement to boyfriend Maxx Morando (27) in late 2025, Billy Ray seemed ecstatic. He posted a photo of himself, Miley, and her godmother Dolly Parton on Instagram, writing: “No wonder you turned out so special… You have the greatest Godmother in the world!!! So happy you and MaxxAgazillion found each other!!!! Congratulations! Happy to see you both so happy!!! love Dad.”
For her part, Miley has been open about how much the song “Secrets” means to both of them. “The fun thing about putting out music for someone that you love — it’s adding onto his legacy by attaching this song to him.”
Now, the two are ready to dust off their cowboy boots.