Billy Ray Cyrusis letting his butterfly fly away.
AfterMiley Cyrusdropped her surname to debut her forthcomingBass Persuadesalbum, out Sept. 18, her dad shared his reaction.
“Family means more than ever now,” Billy Ray wrote in a Sept. 2 Instagram post. “I always called my little girl Miley. Just…Miley.”
Indeed, the 65-year-old—also dad toBrandi Cyrus, 39,Trace Cyrus, 37,Braison Cyrus, 32, andNoah Cyrus, 26, with exTish Cyrus, as well asChristopher Cody, 34, from another previous relationship—noted that his daughter by any other name would be just as sweet.
“Just like I always called my little boy Braison,” he continued. Bet you didn’t know…I was just CYRUS before ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ came out in ‘92. All of my swag and T shirts only read. CYRUS.”
And while Miley’s choice raised eyebrows among her fanbase considering her at times strained relationship with her dad, Billy Ray revealed that she actually asked for his opinion on the new era.
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Miley Cyrus Teases Name Change Ahead of Releasing New Music
“I told @miley yesterday I felt good about her going with her first name,” Billy Ray continued, nodding to Miley’s godmotherDolly Partonand more icons who go by one name. “I mentioned Dolly andCher. Thinkin’ about it more and more…Elvis…Prince…and so on. It’s a natural progression for an iconic superstar legend. And the legend continues !”
The Grammy winner joked that he wished he had the foresight of his daughter when it came to branding.
John Shearer/BBMA2017/ for dcp
“Looking forward to the new album,” he continued. “Now…if only Mercury / Polygram would have just not insisted on the” Billy Ray” part and just let me be CYRUS……I could have done something!!! Ha ha !!!”
Miley announced she’sjustbeing ‘Miley’ with a cryptic post on her social media Aug. 31. Alongside changing her handles to just her first name, she posted a red-filtered photo of herself captioning it simply, “MILEY.”
Days later, the 33-year-old announced her new album.
“Music takes hold of us,” she wrote in a Sept. 1 Instagram post. “We feel it, sing it, sometimes dance to it, let it out and carry on. It is powerful, vulnerable, sweet and strong. Heart full, heartache, every part of life in between. That’s what the title means to me.”
For a deeper look into the Cyrus family, keep reading…
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At the time they already shared 12-month-old daughter Destiny Hope Cyrus—you may know her as Miley Cyrus—and Tish was pregnant with their son Braison Cyrus, who was born May 9, 1994.
Seven months before Miley was born on Nov. 23, 1992, Billy Ray’s ex-girlfriend Kristin Luckey gave birth to their son Christopher Cody Cyrus on April 8.
While the Cyrus family was still based in Nashville, Billy Ray and Miley made the move to L.A. to jumpstart her own entertainment career.
They filed for divorce again in June 2013 but reconsidered barely a month later, telling E! News at the time that they’d been to couple’s counseling and it had done wonders for them.
But before they reconciled, when the news broke that her dad had made the first move in a Nashville court to end his marriage after 19 years, Miley tweeted, “@billyraycyrus since your text and email obviously aren’t working would you like to talk like this?”
The decision came “from a place of trauma and just trying to rebuild as quickly as we could,” Miley recalled on her “Used to Be Young” TikTok series.
But Liam filed for divorce in August 2019 and they finalized the paperwork in January 2020.
“It’s honestly very simple,” a source told E! at the time. “They fell in love when they were young and they are just different people now.”
Moreover, her petition citing “irreconcilable differences” noted that she and her husband of almost 30 years hadn’t lived together since February 2020.
The exes noted that they hadn’t come to the decision to split up for good “lightly or quickly,” adding, “We will always be family and look forward to a continued and loving shared experience as friends and parents.”
“Growing up in Australia, my love of music was predominant over everything,” Firerose told People. “I’ve known his music since forever.”
What started as a friendship turned into more during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All of the sudden, the life that I’ve always known as a touring artist didn’t exist anymore,” Billy Ray said. “A moment of so much change. And at the same time, Firerose, who had been such a light of positivity, such a best friend. And then when we began sharing the music, it just evolved more into, as musical soulmates, to soulmates, happy, pure love that to me, I didn’t know could exist.”
They got engaged in April 2023 and tied the knot that August in Malibu at sunset with Miley, Trace and Brandi all standing by their mom’s side.
“Life is unpredictable & always full of changes,” Trace captioned a photo of himself and two of his sibling with the bride. “I think the most important thing to do is cherish the past, look forward to the future, & always be happy in the present moment because that’s really all we have.”
“The divorce between her parents put a strain on her relationship with her dad and it’s been hard to connect with him in the last year,” the source said. “She hopes they can eventually work on their relationship.”
Billy Ray told People that November, however, that his family had “no hard feelings” about his engagement.
“Everybody’s turning the page,” he said. “It’s been a lot, but everyone knew that it was time for a change.”
He and Firerose got married on Oct. 10, 2023, calling it the “beautiful, joyous day that our two souls united as one in holy matrimony.”
Tish and Brandi were there, as was Miley’s boyfriend Maxx Morando, and they all got shout-outs when the “Flowers” singer won Record of the Year.
As Miley concluded her speech, “I don’t think I forgot anyone.”
“I’m so sorry but will you pleeeeeass just choke on the fattest c–k,” Noah wrote in response. “Just for a lil bit. Great thanks.”
He listed May 22, 2024, as their date of separation.
However, Billy Ray amended his plan and filed for divorce, which was settled that August.
“This has been absolutely the most crazy insane scam I have ever heard of,” Billy Ray said in a statement to E! News. “Let alone the fact I’m right in the center and basically the target of the scheme. It’s unfortunate it played out this way.”
Referring to his sisters, he continued, “Me and the girls have been genuinely worried about you for years but you’ve pushed all of us away.”
Noah was especially hurt, according to Trace.
“Noah desperately has wanted you to be a part of her life and you haven’t even been there for her,” he wrote. “That’s your baby girl. She deserves better. Somehow just like me she still idolizes you though. We are all hanging on to memories of the man we once knew & hoping for the day he returns.”
“Flesh and blood … completely taking their art to a whole new level. Congratulations girls,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “I’m so damn proud of both of you. I’m actually crying as I write this. Thank God you can’t see me.”
One day later, Miley broke her silence about the family rift rumors, noting on Instamgram that she and her dad “have had our challenges over the years.”
Miley continued, “Now, in my thirties, family is my priority above all else. I’m at peace knowing bridges have been built and time has done a lot of healing. Grateful for the good health and love that flows through my family.”
