Dolly Parton Explains Why She Won't Give Miley Cyrus Advice
When musician and actor Miley Cyrus was born in 1992, she was already welcomed into a legacy family. Her father, country musician Billy Ray Cyrus, was quite popular for his song "Achy Breaky Heart" — which was the first single to ever go triple platinum in Australia. As for Miley's mother Tish Cyrus, who was married to Billy Ray from 1993 to 2021, she served as the manager for the children and an eventual film producer.
Given Billy Ray's connections in country music, and that Miley was one of the Cyrus children, she also had an even more famous godmother: none other than Dolly Parton. When "Hannah Montana" aired on Disney Channel in the mid-to-late 2000s, Parton made frequent appearances to provide advice to the young pop star as she navigated the changing industry.
However, off-camera, Parton recently revealed that she doesn't give Miley the same assistance as her real-life godmother, with a surprising reason.
Dolly Parton only gives Miley Cyrus advice when it's needed
Casual fans of "Jolene" musician Dolly Parton might not know that the popular country singer is the godmother of another young star: Miley Cyrus. In January of 2022, Parton — who has known the Cyrus family for decades — opened up to Us Weekly about why she limits the advice she gives to her goddaughter. As Parton noted, the two singers are very similar when it comes to being "headstrong." And she joked, "Nobody gives Miley advice."
Still, there is a mutual respect between them, so Parton shares info when need be. "If I feel like I've got something to say to her, like, a mother or an aunt or a godmother, I will say something," Parton said. "Or [I will] ask her a question about this or that or ask her a question even concerning my own career. [Because] I wanna stay involved and important in the business for as long as I live. And I've been lucky enough that that's happened."
As it turns out, Miley feels just as thankful for Parton's role in her life, which she wrote in September 2021. "She's even better than your sparkliest dreams. She may be my fairy godmother, but I think she's that to everyone else too. I am happy to share her with the world," Miley told Time 100.