Even though Hannah Montana aired its finale episode for the first time more than a decade ago at the time of this writing, the show and its star Miley Cyrus continue to have a surprisingly loyal fan base. For proof of that, all you have to do is take a look at the fact that when Miley Cyrus sported a Hannah Montana shirt while on stage at Summerfest, social media went crazy.
Of course, just because Hannah Montana fans continue to show their appreciation for the series doesn’t mean that the people who were involved in making the series have to love it as well. In fact, based on something that Billy Ray Cyrus once said about Hannah Montana, it is pretty clear that he hated the series at that time. Of course, that begs an obvious question, why would Billy Ray have a problem with the series he starred in for years?
Billy Ray’s Mental State
In 2011, Billy Ray Cyrus sat down for an interview with GQ magazine. At that particular moment in his life, it was pretty clear that Billy Ray was having a really hard time, to say the very least. After all, Miley Cyrus’ use of illicit substances was in the headlines, Billy Ray was in the midst of a messy divorce, and his record company had decided to delay plans for him to launch a music comeback.
With all of that in mind, it isn’t overly surprising that Billy Ray Cyrus may have found himself in a dark state of mind during the aforementioned interview. Still, it was pretty surprising to read an interview in which Billy Ray stated his belief that he and his family were in the crosshairs of the Devil. While speaking about his family’s decision to live and work in Los Angeles, Billy Ray painted a biblical picture of what that meant for the Cyrus clan.
“Driving to work each day in the City of Angels, was this sign. "A physical sign. It could have easily said 'You will now be attacked by Satan.' 'Entering this industry, you are now on the highway to darkness...'" Following that statement, the GQ interviewer asked if Billy Ray really thought his “family was under attack by Satan” and he made it very clear he was. "I think we are right now. No doubt. There's no doubt about it."
Hannah Montana Hater
After talking about the battle that he believed his family was fighting against Satan in a 2011 GQ interview, Billy Ray Cyrus proceeded to bring up the show that made Miley Cyrus a star. Unfortunately for the show’s fans everywhere, to say that Billy Ray had negative things to say about how Hannah Montana affected his family is a massive understatement.
After Bily Ray Cyrus started by saying “Hannah Montana_ probably has brought a lot of families together—just not one…”, he was asked if he wished the show 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 okay, safe and sound and happy and normal, would have been fantastic. Heck, yeah. I'd erase it all in a second if I could."
Of course, before Hannah Montana brought him back in the spotlight, most people solely remembered Billy Ray Cyrus as the guy who had that one hit song, “Achy Breaky Heart”. With that in mind, it is pretty clear that Billy Ray hated Hannah Montana when he spoke to GQ since it is really something for a celebrity to bite the hand that feeds like that. However, given the fact that Miley Cyrus has spoken about the dark side of playing Hannah Montana in the past, it is hard to argue against Billy Ray resenting the series.
A Father’s Fears
After Billy Ray Cyrus stated his belief that Hannah Montana destroyed his family during a 2011 GQ interview, he went on to talk about the path he feared his daughter was going down at the time. Amazingly enough, Billy Ray compared the things that were going on in Miley Cyrus’ life in 2011 to what people like Kurt Cobain, Anna Nicole Smith, and Michael Jackson had gone through in the past. From there, Billy Ray made it clear that he wanted to help shepherd Miley through that period in her life.
"I'm scared for her. She's got a lot of people around her that's putting her in a great deal of danger. I know she's 18 but I still feel like, as her daddy, I'd like to try to help. Take care of her just a little bit, to at least get her out of danger. I want to get her sheltered from the storm. Stop the insanity for a minute. When you go through what she's been through, it takes a beating on you."
Given everything that Billy Ray Cyrus had to say about Hannah Montana and the situation he felt his daughter Miley was in due to starring in the series in 2011, his current take on the series is surprising. After all, while talking to Hollywood Life in early 2020, Billy Ray said there was talk of a Hannah Montana prequel and that he “would do that in a heartbeat”.
