In 2006, country music star Billy Ray Cyrus staged an unexpected comeback—not through his own music, but by introducing the world to his daughter, Miley, via Hannah Montana. The Disney Channel series catapulted the father-daughter duo into pop culture’s glaring spotlight. For Billy Ray, it was a career revival; for Miley, it was the beginning of an empire.
Almost overnight, Miley transformed from a child actress into a global phenomenon, adored by millions of young fans. But as her star ascended, Billy Ray’s dimmed in comparison. By the time she entered her Bangerz era, Miley had shed her Disney image, redefined her public persona, and claimed a level of fame that made her father’s resurgence feel like a footnote. No longer under his authority—personally or professionally—Miley became a force entirely her own.
The Shift in Family Dynamics: Billy Ray Cyrus Marries Firerose
Behind the scenes, the family dynamic was shifting. Years of witnessing her parents’ turbulent marriage shaped Miley’s perspective on relationships, particularly with men—including her father. For Billy Ray, the once-inseparable creative partnership with his daughter had dissolved, leaving a void that, on some level, he seemed eager to fill.
Seventeen years after propelling Miley to stardom, Billy Ray introduced the world to another young talent. But this time, it wasn’t his daughter—it was his new protégée, Firerose.1 The Australian-born singer, a blonde with a whispery voice and an enigmatic presence, was only a few years older than Miley but 27 years younger than Billy Ray. Soon, it became clear that she wasn’t just his musical mentee—she was his fiancée.
The relationship came with a built-in history. Billy Ray and Firerose revealed that they first met a decade earlier on the set of Hannah Montana, back when he was still married to Miley’s mother, Tish Cyrus. According to the couple, their connection remained purely platonic until after Billy Ray and Tish’s divorce..2 Still, the optics were striking.
When Billy Ray married Firerose on October 10, 2023, one absence spoke louder than any wedding vow—Miley did not attend.
Family Estrangement and Public Speculation
Miley’s absence from Billy Ray’s wedding was impossible to ignore, fueling speculation about a deepening family rift. Rumors of tension between father and daughter had simmered for years, but her no-show at his nuptials only intensified the whispers. As Billy Ray moved forward with Firerose—personally and professionally—the distance between him and Miley appeared to grow, leaving the public to wonder just how fractured their relationship had become.
The speculation only gained momentum when Miley took the stage at the 2024 Grammy Awards to accept her first-ever Grammy for Flowers, which won Record of the Year. While she thanked her mother, Tish, and sister, Brandi, her father’s name was conspicuously absent from her speech.
Then, in a appearance on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, Miley offered a rare glimpse into her family’s complicated dynamics. 3 When the legendary talk show host asked her to recall the family’s move from Tennessee to California for Hannah Montana, she responded with a playful—but telling—explanation:
“I have a terrible memory, because I also inherited the narcissism from my father that I don’t know anything about my siblings except for the part that I was doing.”
Miley’s statement is layered, revealing as much about her own psychology as it does about her father’s. On one hand, she attributes her own tendencies to Billy Ray’s example, externalizing some of the blame. Yet, in doing so, she also underscores just how deeply his influence has shaped her.
A Complex Father-Daughter Dynamic
Why might Miley align herself with Billy Ray’s brand of narcissism? It’s possible that framing it as an inherited trait serves as a defensive maneuver—an attempt to deflect responsibility for her own behavior while eliciting understanding from viewers. By linking her tendencies to her father’s, she subtly shifts the focus away from personal accountability and toward a more complex, almost inevitable familial pattern. But beneath the surface, there also seems to be a deeper longing—for recognition, for connection, for some shared understanding between them.
Miley was careful to clarify that her remark wasn’t meant to disparage her father. She insisted that, despite everything, she holds him in high regard and carries a deep appreciation for his role in her life:
“He has a relationship and a foot on the ground to the real and to nature, and he always did, even when he was super famous. I’m grateful for being able to watch him ahead of me. He’s almost, like, given me this map, and there is a map of what to do and what not to do, and he’s guided me on both.”
She has frequently spoken compassionately about the defining differences between herself and her father, tearfully pointing out:4
“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. 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. It makes me emotional. I think that’s the difference.”
Despite their vastly different upbringings, Miley expressed deep compassion for her father’s past, acknowledging how it shaped him—and, by extension, influenced her.
Moral Condemnation and Communication Breakdown
While Miley’s public statements suggest an attempt to maintain civility, private tensions have surfaced in troubling ways. In leaked audio, Billy Ray was caught making disparaging comments about both Miley and his ex-wife, Tish. Referring to Miley, the country western star reportedly said:
“Everyone knows that devil’s a skank.”
The language was jarring—both in its cruelty and in its overt moral condemnation of Mylie. He also referred to his ex-wife Tish as simply “s–t,” a crude anagram of her name.
Billy Ray Cyrus’s public condemnation of his daughter Miley’s behavior reveals a deep moral and ideological rift, rooted in conflicting views on female autonomy and sexuality. His use of derogatory language, like calling her the “devil” (a potent condemnation given his religious background) and the use of the term “skank” (a deeply misogynistic slur targeting her sexual agency), underscores this divide. This aligns with a broader societal pattern of policing and harshly judging women’s behavior, specifically regarding their independence and sexual expression, to a greater degree than men’s.
While Billy Ray’s traditional values appear to inform his judgment of Miley’s choices, his own actions, specifically his relationship with Firerose, expose a stark double standard. This hypocrisy—preaching traditional values while seemingly contradicting them in his personal life—highlights the core of the conflict: a father struggling to reconcile his deeply held beliefs with his daughter’s desire for self-determination.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to imagine the emotional toll her father’s dehumanizing language must have on Miley. Whether her feelings are internalized as shame and guilt or fueling rebellion, she has had to navigate the weight of her father’s disapproval, both privately and in the public eye. The Cyrus family drama transcends a personal dispute; it becomes a microcosm of a larger cultural battle between generations, rigid religious dogma, and the evolving roles of women in entertainment and society.
The question remains whether this estrangement is permanent or if reconciliation is possible. For now, their silence speaks volumes, leaving the future of their relationship uncertain.
Bibliography
- Finn, Nathalie. “Untangling the Rift Dividing Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus and Their Family.” E! News. June 11, 2024. ↩︎
- Avila, Daniela, and Melody Chiu. “Billy Ray Cyrus and Singer Firerose ‘Have Been Dating for a While’ — but Didn’t Overlap with Ex Tish. Billy Ray’s Wife of 28 Years, Tish Cyrus, Filed for Divorce in April.” People, September 29, 2022. ↩︎
- Letterman, David. “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.” Netflix. June 12, 2024. ↩︎
- Wanshel, Elyse. “Miley Cyrus Tears Up While Explaining Her And Dad Billy Ray Cyrus’ Views On Fame.” Yahoo! Entertainment, August 29, 2023. ↩︎
Other Credits
- Images by Deposit Photos.