Miley Cyrus may be one of today’s most popular performers, known for her ever-evolving style and music that often pushes boundaries and causes controversy. Still, there was a time when she was a wholesome and up-and-coming star who acted in the popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. The now-32-year-old has often been vocal about her time on the series, which she starred in for four seasons and began acting in when she was just a teenager. While the show undoubtedly propelled her to stardom, she’s often spoken about the highs and lows of being thrust into the spotlight at such a young age. However, in recent times, Cyrus appears to be embracing her Hannah Montana days with a brand-new and exciting announcement for fans to commemorate its 20th anniversary.

Miley Cyrus Reveals Hannah Montana Comeback Plans Despite Previously Trashing The Series

In a surprising move that has delighted her legions of devoted fans, Miley Cyrus has recently discussed her involvement in a special Hannah Montana project to commemorate its 20-year milestone. Cyrus, who recently made an appearance on SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio, briefly discussed her time playing dual characters, ordinary Miley Stewart and pop star Hannah Montana. She also gave listeners an insight into her thought process behind the special project. “I want to design something really, really special for it because it really was the beginning of all of this that now sits here today,” the “Flowers” songstress stated. Cyrus added “Without Hannah, there really wouldn’t be this kind of… this me….It’s so crazy to think, too, that I started as a character that I thought was going to be impossible to shed,” the 32-year-old shared. “And now that’s something that when I walk into a space, it’s looked at as this sense of nostalgia or something that you have from your childhood, but I’ve now been kind of integrated into everyone’s life as the character itself. So that’s exciting to get to celebrate that.”

Cyrus‘s recent comments about her time in Hannah Montana contrast with her previous comments on the character and series. In several interviews, Cyrus has talked about the harmful effects the role had on her personal and professional life. For example, in a 2013 interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, Cyrus discussed how she was creatively restricted by Disney early on in her solo music career. “Disney’s always been on my back. I was basically carrying two people’s careers and trying to make mine the priority.” During a subsequent interview on the Rock This with Allison Hagendorf podcast in 2021, Cyrus also talked about how playing a pop star damaged her self-worth. “And then the concept was that when I looked like myself, when I didn’t have the wig on anymore, that no one cared about me. I wasn’t a star anymore. That was drilled into my head, like, without being Hannah Montana, no one cares about you.” Cyrus has also been vocal about how she didn’t feel comfortable playing such a wholesome character compared to her own real-life experiences; adding in a 2019 interview with Elle magazine, there was a time she felt ridiculous playing Hannah Montana. “The minute I had s*x, I was kind of like, I can’t put the f—ing wig on again. It got weird,” she told the magazine. “I was grown up.
”

Miley Cyrus Opens Up About Emotional Connect to ‘Something Beautiful’ Album

As Miley Cyrus gears up for her grand return to Hannah Montana, fans and critics are already theorizing about what the special project could look like. One of the most prominent theories, such as the one proposed by USA Today, is that Cyrus will go on tour as Hannah Montana in 2026. But while fans anxiously await the Hannah Montana special, the “Used to be Young” songstress is also discussing her more recent project, her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, which was released in March 2025.

In a recent interview with Elle UK, in which she also promoted her newest fragrance, Cyrus opened up about the emotional connection she felt to her album, describing it as a journey into discovering the beauty in life’s darkest moments. She also revealed that she was pleased with the reception the album, which features the lead hit song “End of the World“, has received from audiences. She also described the album and its production process as a “dream to create something and watch it live independently out in the world. [It has] taught me a new sense of trust that everything happens in the way that was divinely planned, to learn to let go and to enjoy the process as much as success.”