Miley Cyrus Says She’s At Peace With Her Dad Billy Ray
Miley Cyrus wants the world to know that everything’s okay in the Cyrus family — even if it took some time (and therapy) to get there.
In a new interview with The New York Times, the 32-year-old star shared an update about her once-rocky relationship with her father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. When asked directly if the two are estranged, Miley didn’t hesitate. “No,” she said plainly.
She’s not pretending it’s been smooth sailing, though. Miley explained that as she’s matured, she’s started to see her parents not just as “Mom and Dad,” but as real people with their own stories. As I’ve gotten older, I’m respecting my parents as individuals instead of as parents — because my mom really loved my dad for her whole life, and I think being married to someone in the music industry and not being a part of it is obviously really hard,” she shared.
Miley admitted that for a long time, she carried her mother Tish’s emotional baggage, feeling her pain almost as if it were her own. “…It hurt her more than it hurt me as an adult, and so I owned a lot of her pain,” she said.
But now, things have shifted. “I can love them both as individuals instead of as a parental pairing.”
Her mom, Tish Cyrus, married actor Dominic Purcell in 2023, and Miley says she “completely” adores her new stepdad. Billy Ray also moved on, first marrying singer Firerose before their split less than a year later, and is now dating actress Elizabeth Hurley.
Growing up in the spotlight alongside her dad, especially during their Hannah Montana years, added another layer of pressure. Miley admitted in a separate interview on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman that while her mom is her hero, she learned how to handle fame from Billy Ray.
Of course, internet rumors haven’t helped. When fans noticed that Tish appeared to unfollow Miley on Instagram, people speculated about family drama. Miley quickly shut it down in a rare Instagram Story. “I rarely comment on rumors, but my mama and I are too tight for anything to ever come between us. She’s my best friend,” she wrote.
She also addressed her dad in that same post, placing family as her priority over everything else even though they have had their challenges over the years. In her words: “I’m at peace knowing bridges have been built, and time has done a lot of healing.”
