Miley Cyrus Shares How Dad Billy Ray Cyrus Made Her Feel Safe on the ‘Hannah Montana’ Set
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Miley Cyrus is well-acquainted with the complexities of being a child star. In a recent interview, she credited the constant presence of her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, on the set of Hannah Montana as a key factor that shielded her from potential industry abuses, a common concern for many young actors.
In a cover story for Variety, Miley reflected on their time together filming the Disney Channel series, which celebrates its 20th anniversary with a special featuring Miley on Disney+ on March 24. She noted that having her father as part of the cast provided a protective barrier against the mistreatment some of her peers have reported experiencing. Billy Ray played the father of Miley’s character on the show.
“My dad was on set every single day, so there was nothing that could happen that he wouldn’t know about,” Miley said. She pointed out that her dressing area was connected to her father’s room, ensuring she was never alone.
Miley also revealed that her mother, Tish Cyrus, advocated for Billy Ray’s casting in the series to keep their family together during filming. “My parents didn’t need me to be famous to survive or to be stable,” she explained. “What happens to a lot of these kids is their parents want it more than they do, or the kids become responsible for the entire income of the family. That was never my job. Every penny I ever made went into my bank account because my parents were good.”
Miley’s comments come in the context of broader discussions about child safety in the entertainment industry, particularly in light of allegations against Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon detailed in the 2024 documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. This series examined claims of inappropriate behavior on set involving underage actors, which Schneider has denied. He subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit against Warner Bros. and other parties involved in the documentary’s production.
Ariana Grande, a former star of Nickelodeon’s Victorious, echoed the need for reform, stating in a Podcrushed interview after the documentary’s release, “I think that the environment needs to be made safer if kids are going to be acting. I think there should be therapists. I think there should be parents allowed to be wherever they wanna be.”
Miley is featured on the cover of Variety for this special discussion.
