Pop icon Miley Cyrus has shed light on her evolving relationship with her father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, following a period of estrangement that spanned several years. In a candid interview with The New York Times, the 31-year-old reflected on how time and perspective have helped her redefine her understanding of family.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started seeing my parents as individuals instead of just as ‘Mom and Dad,’” Miley explained. “My mom really loved my dad her whole life, and being married to someone in the music industry without being in it yourself — that’s not easy.”
Miley revealed she carried much of her mother Tish Cyrus’s pain after her split from Billy Ray in 2022, saying, “I absorbed some of my mom’s hurt because it hit her harder. I internalized a lot of that pain as if it were my own.”
Since the high-profile divorce, both parents have moved forward. Tish recently tied the knot with actor Dominic Purcell, while Billy Ray is in a relationship with singer Elizabeth Hurley. With both finding happiness separately, Miley says she’s now able to support them individually.
“Now that my mom is deeply in love with my stepdad — who I absolutely adore — and my dad seems happy too, I can love and support them both without needing them to be a couple,” she shared.
The Cyrus family’s ups and downs have long played out under the public eye, but Miley appears unfazed by the attention. “The thing I actually appreciate about the way things work now is how fast everything moves. In the ’90s, something would stay in the tabloids for a year. Now, it’s gone in a week.”
Reflecting on her life in the spotlight, Miley concluded, “There’s a price to living publicly, but if embarrassing moments or public misunderstandings are the cost of the life I’ve built, then that’s a trade I’m willing to make.”
The emotional honesty in Miley’s interview marks a new chapter in her personal evolution — one defined by empathy, maturity, and reconciliation.
