Why You Don't Hear As Much From Billy Ray Cyrus Anymore

From "Achy Breaky Heart" to "Hannah Montana" and then "Old Town Road," it's safe to say Billy Ray Cyrus has been involved in more than one major pop culture moment. However, in more recent years, we've heard a little less from him. We have a feeling some of the revelations he's made over the years may have had something to do with that. 

Let's start from the moment Billy Ray burned bridges with Disney. As some may remember, back in 2011, he had filed for divorce from Tish Cyrus for the first time, and to put it bluntly, his life was in something of a shambles. It was during that time that he sat down for an interview with GQ, and made some very damning comments about Hollywood in general. He also zoned in on "Hannah Montana" as the reason for his life imploding the way it had. "It destroyed my family. I'll tell you right now — the damn show destroyed my family," he declared. He didn't stop there, either. Pushed for whether he regretted his and his daughter's involvement, he added, "I hate to say it, but yes, I do. Yeah. I'd take it back in a second."

Candid, sure — but not exactly a great way to endear himself to Disney. Nor, for that matter, did it help that he told the outlet he believed the industry at large had been the highway to hell. 

Of course, Billy Ray Cyrus' comments to GQ didn't exactly end his career. A few years later, he teamed up with Lil Nas X for "Old Town Road," which brought him back to mainstream fame. As for his family, it also certainly seemed as though things were pretty good. Case in point: in one episode of her pandemic podcast, "Bright Minded: Live with Miley Cyrus," his daughter joked about FaceTiming him while he sheltered in place in Nashville. 

As we now know, it was during the pandemic that Billy Ray's marriage to Tish Cyrus finally came to an end. However, in 2022, he revealed that during that period of separation and divorce, he was growing closer to bestie-turned-wife, Firerose. Granted, that might not have been the worst thing in the world (after all, he told People that the entire family was on board with the marriage ending). However, the story of how he met Firerose certainly led to a lot of raised eyebrows. 

Speaking to People, Cyrus revealed that he'd been filming "Hannah Montana" when he bumped into his now-wife. At the time, she would have been in her early 20s, while he was approaching 50 — but more importantly, shooting a Disney TV show with his daughter. Nevertheless, he gushed that he was blown away by her, and did everything he could to help make her a star. Over time, that turned into friendship ... and now they're married.

Billy Ray Cyrus going from a TV dad to the man who met his much younger wife on the set of "Hannah Montana" certainly didn't help to keep him in the public's good graces. And, while it's unclear whether it also played a role in his tarnished relationship with Miley Cyrus, it's certainly a possibility. If Radar Online's sources are to be believed, Miley was less than impressed by the relationship. However, another source told E! News, "She, of course, hopes he is happy." Either way, though, there's no denying that his precarious relationship with his daughter has shifted a lot of attention away from his work. 

Miley famously didn't acknowledge Billy Ray in her acceptance speech at the 2024 Grammys. Making matters worse, it was pretty clear that wasn't as a result of nerves. After all, her acceptance speech ended with, "I don't think I forgot anyone, but I might have forgotten underwear. Bye!" Oh, and then there was the Instagram post, thanking her loved ones ... again, not mentioning her dad by name. 

Strictly speaking, we guess that means we are hearing about Billy Ray. However, it's a far cry from hearing about his latest projects. Granted, Billy Ray did surprise us all when he teamed up with Lil Nas X for "Old Town Road," especially after that other rift with his family, so we won't write him off just yet.