Did Liam Hemsworth's Sister-In-Law Once Shade Miley Cyrus?

Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus tied the knot in 2018, only for their marriage to come crashing down in August 2019 — and Liam's sister-in-law wasn't afraid of throwing a little shade Miley's way post-breakup.

The divorce was acrimonious — to say the least. Accusations of cheating and substance abuse were hurled. Breakup ballads and female empowerment songs were sung. But while Cyrus has been outspoken about what went wrong in her marriage, Liam took the opposite route. In announcing his separation from Cyrus on Instagram, the "Poker Face" actor wrote, "This is a private matter and I have not made, nor will I be making, any comments to any journalists or media outlets." He's stuck by that, remaining tight-lipped about whatever went down between the two.

His silence has enabled others to speak out on his behalf. For example, Chris Hemsworth praised his younger brother's 2019 Men's Health cover, crediting Liam's physique to "Australian living." Telling news.com.au, "We got him out of Malibu!" Likewise, Chris' wife, Elsa Pataky, didn't hold back in letting fans know what she really thought about Cyrus.

Family comes first, according to Elsa Pataky. Even though she and Miley Cyrus once were close — and got matching tattoos together in 2016 — Pataky sided with her brother-in-law amid his divorce from Cyrus. "After a relationship that you've dedicated 10 years to, [Liam is] a little bit down, but he's coping well," Pataky told Hola! in November 2019. "He's a strong boy and he deserves the best. I think he deserves much better."

Pataky's shady remark could have been in response to Cyrus' initial dig at Hemsworth. One month before, Cyrus appeared in an Instagram Live where she gushed about her then-boyfriend, Cody Simpson. "I always thought I had to be gay because I just thought, like, all guys were evil," she said (via Elite Daily). "[But] there are good people out there that just happen to have d**ks. I've only ever met one ... and he's on this Live." Ouch! So a decade-long relationship wasn't enough to change Cyrus' mind, but her short time with Simpson was? Given this context, it's understandable if Pataky was a little hurt.

Beyond Pataky, much of Hemsworth's family members jumped to support him after he and Cyrus split. When the divorce was announced, an insider told ET that the family's initial reaction was relief. "Liam has come to terms that it was time to move on," they said. "Liam's family has been incredibly supportive. They are relieved it's over."

Elsa Pataky and Miley Cyrus have mostly kept it cool, apart from that one moment of shade. In 2020, Pataky shared with Vogue how much she still values the wave tattoo she got with Cyrus, saying, "I don't regret any [of my tattoos], they're symbols and I love having them and it reminds me of those moments."

When Cyrus released her eighth studio album, "Endless Summer Vacation," in 2023, her marriage to Liam Hemsworth again came under scrutiny. Fans felt that certain tracks on the album hinted at Hemsworth's infidelity. For example, lyrics like "and you smell like perfume that I didn't purchase / Now I know why you've been closing the curtains  / Get the f**k out of my house" seem pretty specific. But when Pataky was asked about the cheating rumors, she played it cool, somehow managing to defend both her brother-in-law and his ex-wife. "It's a very old topic for us," she told Hola! "If someone should talk it should be Liam, but I think [Miley] can do what she wants." 

That said, neither Cyrus nor Pataky speak much today. "[We're not in contact] because we live in different countries and it's difficult," Pataky explained.