Miley Cyrus Shares Lighthearted Take on Getting Engaged to Maxx Morando Amid Her Unique Phobia: ‘It Affects My Daily Life’

Miley Cyrus on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’; Maxx Morando and Cyrus attend the world premiere of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’.
Credit:

ABC; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

NEED TO KNOW

• Miley Cyrus appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday, December 4, discussing her recent engagement.
• Her conversation took a surprising turn as she revealed her intense phobia of paper.
• Cyrus noted that her fiancé, musician Maxx Morando, plays a significant role in helping her manage this fear, stating, “That’s really why I got engaged.”

The pop star, 33, disclosed that she has an aversion to paper during her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on December 4. This long-standing fear has left her dreading the holiday season, particularly Christmas.

“Christmas, I’m known as a little bit of a Grinch because I have a qualm with Christmas. I hate paper,” Cyrus explained. She elaborated, “The real problem for me with paper is when people have dry hands and they touch paper, and then it’s Christmas and it’s cold and everyone’s hands are dry and they’re all touching paper.”

Miley Cyrus on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’.

ABC

As the conversation progressed, Cyrus began to gag at the thought of paper. She classified her feelings as a “phobia,” and shared, “It’s getting worse, so there does need to be some sort of intervention, and I am gonna look into some sort of EMDR, being hypnotized about it because it is affecting my everyday life.”

She further detailed her struggle, stating, “Someone gets an Amazon box, I’m sick, because the cardboard is the worst of it all. It’s extra dry, and there’s packaging within it. That’s really why I got engaged because I just make my fiancé open all the packages outside.”

Host Jimmy Kimmel laughingly pointed out that the first wedding anniversary traditionally involves paper. To which Cyrus replied, “Uh nuh, not here,” making it clear she wouldn’t adhere to traditional anniversary gifts.

Cyrus’s recent engagement to musician Morando was confirmed earlier this week. Kimmel humorously queried whether she would be willing to sign her own marriage certificate.

“Here’s the thing, waxed paper, anything that’s got a smooth surface, that’s better,” Cyrus explained, reflecting on her previous marriage. “And from the last marriage [to Liam Hemsworth], I think I remember the paper is waxed, but I smoked one of those imaginary joints so I can’t really remember.”

Miley Cyrus and Maxx Morando at the ‘Avatar: Fire And Ash’ world premiere in Los Angeles on December 01, 2025.

Kevin Winter/WireImage

Addressing the topic of rolling papers, Cyrus confirmed that she has no issues with them. “That’s fine. First of all, my hands aren’t dry, okay?” she quipped, adding humorously about licking the paper.

Her phobia extends to not even opening letters. “Books, again, I was so happy when they had a Kindle, when the Kindle was invented,” she said. “As long as they’re not dry. When I write my book, wax paper.”

Cyrus recounted how her fear began during childhood road trips from Tennessee to Canada with her family. Her brothers would irritate her by rubbing paper together while they traveled.

Fortunately, Morando, 27, has been supportive. Kimmel jokingly inquired whether Morando knew that if he had delayed his proposal by a few weeks, he could have avoided buying a Christmas gift.

“This was Black Friday deal, baby,” Cyrus laughed, showing off her engagement ring. “It wasn’t, but he was smart that way. It might have been. I’m not sure. It better not have been.”

When it comes to holiday gifting, Cyrus avoids wrapping paper altogether. “I love stockings, and anything that I want is usually small enough to fit perfectly into a silk stocking — no paper. I prefer silk, no dryness,” she noted.

A source mentioned that Cyrus is “thrilled” with her engagement to Morando and is embracing “exactly the life she wanted.” They described her engagement ring as having a “cool, boho-rock vibe,” emphasizing her desire for privacy in her personal life moving forward.