Miley Cyrus gets real about rift with dad Billy Ray: “I took on my mom’s pain” - The Statesman

“I took on some of her hurt as my own,” she said. “It affected me more as an adult than it would’ve when I was younger. I kind of carried that weight with me.”

Miley Cyrus has peeled back the curtain on what really caused her strained relationship with dad Billy Ray Cyrus, and how time, maturity, and new beginnings are helping mend the divide.

For over a year, fans speculated about tension in the Cyrus family. The father-daughter duo, once inseparable on and off the screen thanks to ‘Hannah Montana’, seemed miles apart. But in

recent weeks, signs of reconciliation have surfaced. Now, Miley’s putting the rumors to rest and sharing her side of the story.

Speaking candidly in a new interview, the “Flowers” hitmaker revealed the core of the issue: her parents’ divorce. After nearly three decades of marriage, Tish Cyrus filed for divorce from

Billy Ray in 2022.

The split rocked the family, especially Miley, who found herself unintentionally caught in the emotional crossfire.

“I think timing is everything,” Miley said. “As I got older, I started seeing my parents as individuals, not just as my mom and dad. My mom loved my dad for her entire life, and being

married to someone in the music world when you’re not in it… that can be really hard.”

Miley admitted she absorbed a lot of her mom’s pain during the breakup. “I took on some of her hurt as my own,” she said. “It affected me more as an adult than it would’ve when I was

younger. I kind of carried that weight with me.”

But things began to shift as both her parents found new love. Tish tied the knot with ‘Prison Break’ actor Dominic Purcell, while Billy Ray started a relationship with Elizabeth Hurley,

which he revealed publicly not long after his divorce from Firerose finalized.

“Seeing my mom happy and so in love with my stepdad—and seeing my dad find happiness too—helped me love them both separately,” she explained. “I’m not trying to keep them together in my head

anymore. I’m being an adult about it.”

Still, the emotional transition wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. “At first, it’s tough,” she admitted. “The kid in you reacts before the grown-up in you steps in and says, ‘Hey, this is

your dad—but he’s also just a person who deserves happiness.’ That inner child had to catch up.”

Just weeks ago, Billy Ray posted a rare family photo of the two, and Miley followed up with a heartfelt message on her Instagram Stories. “My dad and I have had our challenges,” she wrote.

“Now that I’m in my 30s, family is everything to me. I’m grateful for the healing that’s happened over time, and for the love and health in my family.”