Entertainment
15 Miley Cyrus Family Secrets
Destiny Hope Cyrus, more popularly known as Miley Ray Cyrus, is a singer and actress who has defined a generation. From her role as the adorable and bubbly teenager Hannah in the hit Disney television show Hannah Montana, to her sweet and tender romance movies (one of which led her to her beau Liam Hemsworth, of The Hunger Games fame), and of course to her many incredibly successful albums that feature her unique artistry and powerhouse vocals, Miley is just an unforgettable star and icon. But Miley is not the only popular Cyrus in the Cyrus household. In fact, her dad Billy Ray was a singer-songwriter who made more than ten albums and captured hearts with his song “Achy Breaky Heart.” Now, her little sister Noah has dropped numerous singles and is about to release one of the most awaited albums of 2018.
These are the things we know about Miley’s family; they’re creative, talented, and hella entertaining. But what things do they generally keep away from the press and the public eye? What secrets have swirled around the Cyrus household that not many know? If you are curious to know the dish on the Cyrus family, check out these 15 family secrets!
15. Miley’s Secret Bro
A lot of fans may remember that Miley Stewart had a look-alike cousin on the show Hannah Montana. This character was, of course, just Miley playing a second character. But if we told everyone who’s reading this right now that Miley has, in fact, another “secret” member of her family, they may not believe us. But, it’s true!
We’re sorry to break it to you, but even the most avid of Miley fans don’t know everything there is to know about her and her famous family, no matter how much they love her music. And one of these things is that she has a secret brother who is only eight months older than her! Named Christopher Cody, he lives with his mother Kristin Luckey. Though, we suppose he isn’t so lucky, as Billy Ray didn’t play a big role in his life.
14. The Divorce
Everyone knows that marriage is not always paradise. Sure, it may have its blissful, peaceful moments, it will also have its rocky, stormy moments. And everyone knows that marriage is also not a walk in the park, it often requires a lot of work and effort from both parties. And while some people put genuine effort into their marriage, it still may not survive trying times.
And no surprise: even celebrity marriages are not foolproof. While the Cyrus household looks happy and big and loving, Billy Ray and Tish’s union was threatened by Billy himself! He actually filed for a divorce around 2010, when the stress of managing a showbiz family was becoming too much to bear. Billy came to his senses and called off the divorce only five months later. We hope these two crazy kids worked everything out!
13. The Divorce 2.0
Everyone who knew about Billy Ray filing divorce papers in 2010 breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the news from the man of the house himself. He called off the divorce only five months after the announcement and decided to keep the family together. “I want to put my family back together,” Billy Ray said. But apparently, one person in the house did not agree with him.
This person is none other than his wife, Tish. Only three years after their short-lived split, Tish filed her own papers. Was it successful? Well, just look at the Cyrus family now. Looks like this was another hastily-made decision that the two eventually worked through, with the help of couples counseling. This time the divorce was called off in a month. Good work, Cyrus fam.
12. The Affair
While we are delighted to see the Cyrus family whole and close and happy, we also could not help but dig around for some juicy family secrets. One of these is the not-so-secret secrets is Tish Cyrus’ close relationship with singer Bret Michaels. That’s right, Bret Michaels from the band Poison. But is there more to this closeness than meets the eye?
A report claimed that Tish had an affair with Bret, and possibly a few other men, as well. People have speculated that this affair prompted the divorce petition that Billy Ray filed in 2010. In an interview, Bret of course “flat out denied” the issue. He said that he has been close friends with the family “forever” and that Miley and he sang a few songs and “that was it.”
11. Not the Best of Both Worlds After All
If you thought that the hit Disney television show Hannah Montana was the thing that brought young Miley to worldwide fame, then you’d be right. The show had a massive following with high ratings every season, though the same couldn’t be said for the movies. Everyone could not help but adore the perky Miley or be awed by her amazing vocal skills. While it seems all good on the surface, the show did not bring the best of both worlds for the Cyrus fam.
In an interview with GQ, Billy Ray dropped the bomb that the show “destroyed my family.” He insisted that he would take it all back in a heartbeat if he had a second chance. Instead, he’d like his family to be happy and safe in exchange. Fair enough, Billy Ray.
10. Twitter War
A cornerstone of the Hannah Montana show is Miley’s relationship with her father. It is said that art imitates life, so we suppose that this was also representative of their relationship off screen. It did not matter how rocky the waters were for the family (which is really no different than any normal family anyway), the show would always bring it back to what mattered. They were as close as ever, super loving, and would elicit many “aww’s” from their audience.
But even fathers and daughters have their nasty spats. Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus took their word war to Twitter! She tweeted to Billy that “since [his] texts and email obviously aren’t working,” she’d tweet him instead. If she didn’t get a reply, she’d air out his dirty laundry! She quickly deleted the tweet and claimed that her Twitter was simply “acting […] cray.” What the heck was that all about?
9. The Grandfather’s Scandal
Maybe Miley acting-out and threatening to expose her father’s secrets, whatever those may be, seems a bit par for the course in today’s Twitter-fueled world. Certainly, Billy and Tish filing divorce papers against each other is about as run-of-the-mill as it comes. Perhaps the news that Miley has a secret brother was shocking enough. This next family secret though may just take the cake as the most WTF story concerning the Cyrus family.
Apparently, Miley Cyrus’ grandfather Ron Cyrus has been implicated in a totally shocking embezzlement and suicide scandal! Allegedly, the secretary-treasurer of Kentucky ADL-CIO caused the disappearance of hundred-thousand of dollars worth of funds. The group’s bookkeeper (who was also implicated in the scandal according to a report) died, and his death was ruled a suicide. Ron Cyrus was suspended around October 1998, and then fired a couple of months later. He died in 2006 after a long battle with lung cancer, when poor Miley was barely a teenager.
8. Tish’s Previous Children
Families come in all shapes and sizes. Some people prefer smaller families and some people want to have as many children as possible. People may think that Miley, her little sister Noah, and her younger brother Braison Chance, plus a not so secret half-brother Christopher Cody make up a perfectly sized family. But Billy Ray and Tish, seem to like their family even bigger!
Before Tish got together with Billy Ray, she already had two other children from two previous marriages. So Miley has two older siblings! Her older brother is named Trace and he performed in a band called Metro Station. Miley’s older sister is named Brandi, she has her own fashion line and looks a little too much like Miley, even more than Noah does! Billy Ray adopted the two children when he and Tish got married in the 90’s.
7. Miley Cyrus’ Wild Side
Miley did a lot of wild things while growing up, and even more so during her adult years. Remember when she wore nipple pasties on Jimmy Kimmel Live, or when she showed up at a performance almost naked? What about when she performed with Robin Thicke in the 2013 VMA’s in a very raunchy song number? Or when she basically rode a huge ball? Good times.
These antics are all pretty well-known, but something not many people know about actually took place when Miley was still a teenager. First, she was caught drinking underage (she was only seventeen!) in Spain. Second, she was caught smoking from a bong and breaking into fits of giggles. Miley denied that it was marijuana, but only salvia, an herb “with psychedelic qualities.”
6. Anxieties Abound
Being a child star, and a global one at that, is surely a source of more enjoyment and pleasure than many of us will ever experience. However, one can argue that it is also more terrible than anything many of us will ever experience. We’ve seen our fair share of child stars gone sour, like Lindsay Lohan or Macaulay Culkin. And while Miley Cyrus seems to be in a good place right now – she is in a happy relationship, has a supportive family, and a successful career – it wasn’t always easy for her.
In fact, Miley revealed that her time on Hannah Montana gave her huge anxiety attacks. She would experience hot flashes and feel like she was going to puke. Sometimes the attacks would prove to be so severe that filming would have to be canceled for the day. Sometimes show business really is no good for kids.
5. Children’s Lingerie
If Miley Cyrus’ underage drinking and bong-smoking habits seem fairly tame to you do not worry, this next secret is sure to shock! Miley’s provocative clothing and tantalizing performances have shocked many since she broke free from her Hannah Montana persona. But we bet this bit of information about children’s lingerie will shock you even more. Yes, you read that right, children’s lingerie.
Noah Cyrus, the youngest Cyrus child, was allegedly in talks to create a line of children’s lingerie with a friend when she was merely ten years old! We’re not entirely sure the words children and lingerie should be in the same sentence! The two designers, of the company, apparently tasked to make the line, denied the talk of a lingerie line for children, but they do make tutus and girl’s dresses. They claim that they wouldn’t do such a clothing line as it was inappropriate and Noah and her friend have no plans to make the line.
4. Underage Dating
There are many things about Miley and her family that have apparently been deemed “inappropriate” by a lot of fans and audience members. Some of these, as already mentioned, are the wild performances, the provocative dress, the underage drinking, and smoking psychedelic materials. While the plan for a children’s lingerie line may be impossible to prove, this dating rumor might just prove a little more than fictional. Apparently, at the young age of fifteen, Miley was already dating Justin Gaston, then 20 years old.
Papa Cyrus tried to downplay the relationship by saying they were “great friends” and wrote songs together. Miley, on the other hand, in an interview claimed she was “gushing” over the model. Things like this usually don’t matter, but at the time Miley was fifteen and Gaston was five years older, and an adult, which many people found problematic. Which is understandable given her position as a role model for young children.
3. Billy’s Woes About Kurt Cobain
Billy Ray Cyrus seems to be an open-minded man and seems to have brought up his family the same way. After all, he allowed his daughters to dress the way they like and pursue their careers. Despite this, he has also expressed some concerns, particularly about his girl Miley.In an interview with GQ, Billy Ray expressed some terrifying concerns about how Miley might end up like Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, or Marilyn Monroe.
In another interview with Ryan Seacrest, he clarified his statement by saying that fame “can be a dangerous animal,” and that Kurt Cobain experienced a world that was “spinning so fast” and had people around him that didn’t help. Awe, we know Papa Cyrus loves and cares for his daughter very much! While he stays out of her Hollywood career, we know he’s always there to support his daughter on the dangerous journey to stardom.
2. Billy Ray’s Parenting Regrets
While we know that Billy Ray truly cares for Miley and the rest of his family, we also know that he has been met with a lot of criticism. This is especially true regarding Miley! To be fair she has exhibited many “wild child” moments throughout her life and career. Remember that time she posed nude for Vanity Fair at the age of fifteen?! Or then she danced around a pole that same year.
Billy Ray claims to be a “cool dad,” the sort of parent that children would want to have as a buddy or friend. He has proclaimed that he’s good at teaching how to build campfires or riding horses or motorcycles. And where was the dad who helped with homework? Billy Ray admitted he wasn’t very good at that part, and reflected that he “could have been a better dad.” A little self reflection goes a long way.
1. A Lap Dance?!
Apparently, Miley’s wild antics during her teenage years did not stop at underage drinking. Even posing nude-ish for a magazine, smoking out of a bong weren’t crazy enough for Miley! And dating an adult while she was only fifteen years old is tame in comparison to this final secret. According to TMZ, Miley gave a lap dance to a 44 year old man during a wrap party!
The two got “downright dirty” on the dance floor then proceeded with a very enthusiastic lap dance. The man was revealed to be an Adam Shankman, an openly gay man who was the producer of The Last Song and other movies like Hairspray. Those who shot the video said they were offended by the dancing, but the reps of the then-teenage star had no comment about it. Miley’s parents? They were not there to comment either.