‘Hannah Montana’ turns 20: Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray and the reunion that struck a chord

Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus joined his daughter Miley on Tuesday as a guest on her Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special. It’s a reunion fans might not have thought possible, given the headlines about the family’s feuds in recent years. 

In an in-depth interview with "Call Her Daddy" host Alex Cooper about the most epic moments from the series, where Miley Cyrus also dished about growing up with stars like Dylan Sprouse, Nick Jonas and Selena Gomez, the reunion of one of Hollywood’s most famous father-daughter duos struck a chord.

"I'm really excited for him to be here, because I know how much our relationship means to everyone that watched this show," Miley Cyrus said. "I think when me and my dad are good, people, they feel better. It just feels good when the Cyruses are getting along.”

From 2006 to 2011, the father-daughter pair were in the spotlight as Miley Cyrus starred in “Hannah Montana,” the hit Disney Channel series that launched her to superstardom. But the two later experienced a rift after the show ended. 

Billy Ray’s April 2022 divorce from Miley's mother Tish Cyrus, followed by her marriage to Dominic Purcell in August 2023, further complicated that family dynamic. Rumors about a rift between sister Noah Cyrus and their mother Tish, swirled that same year.

Miley’s brother Trace Cyrus expressed concern for Billy Ray's well-being in a Jan. 22, 2025 Instagram post, writing, "Sadly the man that I wanted so desperately to be just like I barely recognize now."

For many fans who grew up with the show as children and are now adults themselves, the Cyrus family’s ups and downs mirror a more universal experience about the emotional toll of family conflict and the complicated ways those rifts can leave lasting impacts on mental health.

The mental health toll of family drama

A family can fracture for a lot of reasons; a marriage that some members don't approve of, a feud that went unresolved, substance abuse that hurt those in its wake. Family drama, regardless of the cause, can hurt for countless reasons.

"Research suggests that the same parts of the brain that process physical pain also process emotional pain,” psychotherapist Chelsey Cole previously told USA TODAY, “so being cut off, isolated, betrayed, rejected or disowned by your family physically hurts.”

Therapist Gregorio Lozano III says the pain of family abandonment is a primal one, originating from humanity's earliest ancestors. It's stressful and upsetting both for the person who has decided to end contact with a certain family, but especially for the person on the receiving end of that behavior.

"When we experienced a rejection from the tribe, that meant a life or death situation," he says. "Now, we don't have that aspect, but we still have the emotional trauma that can result from that."

For many, family is a core part of one's identity. When someone is disowned or kept from having a relationship with their family, it can undermine their sense of self and self-worth.

"A lot of our identity is tied up into our family: 'Who are my parents? What kind of family do I come from? What do we believe?' " Cole says. "When there is this discord or disconnection or fracture in the family, it affects people to their core."

What have Miley, Billy Ray said of ‘Hannah Montana’s’ impact on their family?

Miley Cyrus has long credited her dad with helping her navigate teenage stardom and looking out for her, and expressed gratitude that her family didn’t put pressure on her financially. 

The pitfalls of child stardom have drawn renewed attention following the 2024 documentary "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” which detailed the toxic and allegedly abusive environments some of Nickelodeon's biggest child stars say they worked in.

“My dad was on set every single day,” Miley Cyrus told Variety for a cover story leading up to the special about the Disney series. “So there was nothing that could happen that he wouldn’t know about.” 

However, the show certainly took a toll on the family.

In a 2011 interview with GQ, Billy Ray Cyrus said the show “destroyed” his family and that he wished it had never happened. 

"I hate to say it, but yes, I do. Yeah. I'd take it back in a second. For my family to be here and just be everybody OK, safe and sound and happy and normal, would have been fantastic. Heck, yeah. I'd erase it all in a second if I could,” he told the magazine.

That unique reality is something Miley Cyrus touched on during the special. 

"I don't know if our reality would be the same without the show, for better or for worse," Miley Cyrus told Alex Cooper. "No family really gets to experience what we had."

How to heal from a fractured family

To a certain extent, family drama is normal, but a time may arrive when the issues become too complicated to ignore. If you're struggling with the pain of family drama, therapists offer the following advice:

• Seek therapy. Family fractures can bring on several mental health concerns that are best treated by professionals.
• Feel your feelings. Allowing yourself to acknowledge a feeling can be healthier than repressing it, Lozano said. "It's more of what we do with those feelings that matters."
• Build an identity outside your family. Finding passions, hobbies, community and values outside of family can help build self-worth and self-efficacy, Cole said.
• Reflect on how your family fracture may be affecting other relationships. It's important to take stock of how feelings brought on by a fractured familial relationship may be impacting your other relationships, said psychiatrist Dr. Dion Metzger. "When there's an issue within our family and we feel estranged, it does affect how we approach our relationships, our romantic relationships and our friendships," she said.
• Find healthy relationships: For people with fractured families, Cole stressed the importance of "finding other healthy relationships where you do feel seen or you feel appreciated and supported and connected."

Charles Trepany and Katie Camero contributed reporting.

Rachel Hale’s role covering Youth Mental Health at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Reach her at [email protected] and@rachelleighhale on X.