Miley Cyrus has become one of the biggest trailblazers in popular culture history; her ability to transform from a groundbreaking Disney darling to one of the most iconic performers of the 2010s is totally unmatched!
Miley is absolutely a queen of career transformations; her different career eras have made her into an era-defining icon in both music and style. She wouldn't be the wrecking ball--swinging trailblazer, however, without her legendary blonde wig-wearing alter ego, Hannah Montana, who was brought to life with the support and guidance of her father Robbie, played by Miley's real-life dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. Billy Ray's influence on Miley's career continued long after "Hannah" hung up her wig.
Billy Ray's presence in Miley's career extends past the trusty mentor role! Some "eras" of their relationship weren't as cozy as their beloved characters and some chapters of their story are quite odd. With that said, here are 20 bizarre facts!
20 Billy Ray Always Had Something To Say
It's hard to believe, but 2011 isn't so long ago in the grand clock of time, but when we're measuring time via Miley's clock, 2011 seems like centuries ago!
The beginning of the 2010s didn't go very smoothly for Miley and her father, Billy Ray. Papa Cyrus was ill-prepared for Miley's quest to shed her squeaky clean image, and he wasn't quiet about it.
19 Being Miley's Father Was Never Costly
Despite a tough patch, Miley's dad was willing to put any father and daughter growing pains aside and assure the public that, despite whispers, raising one of the most famous girls in the world and guiding her through success, hasn't been a profitable venture!
Billy Ray spoke candidly to GQ and revealed, "...I'm proud to say I've never made a dime off my daughter."
18 Dad Believes They Are Better Friends
TV fans have seen their share of parents and children perfecting the best possible "BFF" relationship, and Miley Stewart had a few of these moments with her father on Hannah Montana!
It seems as if the "best pal" relationship translated into Miley Cyrus' life, too. It's a bit unusual for a father to be so candid, but Billy Ray has admitted their relationship was as such.
17 They Didn't Communicate Before The Video Music Awards
We remember "the moment." You remember "the moment." It's nearly impossible to mention Miley without reminiscing on her iconic 2013 VMAs performance!
One person who probably would rather not reminisce? Miley's father! After seeing the not-so-PG-rated content of her performance with Robin Thicke, Billy Ray declared his daughter was "In trouble" after the performance.
Wouldn't the two have discussed Miley's plans beforehand?
16 Father And Daughter Aired It Out On The Socials
When us "normies" have a spat with our parents, it would definitely raise some eyebrows if our private matters escalated on social media!
Miley and Billy Ray's rather public period of unrest in their relationship certainly came to a head when Miley let the public into the family's personal problems when she put her father on blast (with a telling photo) on social media.
15 This Daughter Gives Her Father Career Advice
Fathers are usually the ones who offer nuggets of advice to their daughters when the situation arises, but the roles are reversed in the Cyrus household!
Even though Billy Ray knows a thing or two about a successful career, his daughter has no problem lending her voice and giving dad some advice. According to CMT, Miley advised, "If the world says go left, go right."
14 That Magazine Interview
It was the controversy that showed the world she seriously couldn't be tamed! Once upon a time, Miley made the public clutch their pearls in surprise when she gave an interview to Vanity Fair, which featured some pretty mature photos to go along with it.
A lesser-discussed aspect of the controversial photo spread? The uncomfortable and unusual father and daughter photo poses. Mickey Mouse cringed!
13 Miley Celebrated Her Dad's Milestone In Gasp-Inducing Fashion
We love it when a daughter celebrates her father's success, but it's safe to say we've never seen a celebratory tribute along the lines of Miley's congratulatory wishes for Billy Ray's success with the monster selling single "Old Town Road."
The "Slide Away" singer took to social media and used her artistic skills to create a photo tribute not appropriate for a father's day card!
12 Billy Ray Defends His Daughter At Bizarre Moments
Billy Ray has been vocal about how proud he is to have the role of "Miley's daddy" in interviews, like in the famous GQ interview where he spoke out on her behavior as a newly legal adult, however, a few years later, Papa Cyrus seemed to have changed his tune.
Billy Ray was quick to defend Miley after her highly controversial VMAs performance. What changed?
11 Dad Embarrassed His Daughter In A Totally Cringy Way
It's hard enough to make sense of your first crush, but how much harder would it be to have your dad involved in the mix?
Unfortunately, Miley is well familiar with this unusual situation! She had a crush on the early '00s heartthrob Ryan Cabrera, and her father came up with a hilarious (and pretty quirky) situation involving Ryan camping out at the Cyrus' house!
10 Miley Gave Billy Ray A Stern Warning
Boundaries between you and your parents are important regardless if you're a regular Jane, or if you're part of a famous father and daughter duo!
Miley was smart to establish boundaries back in the Hannah Montana days, with a highly unusual public request. She candidly spoke to her father about how she felt about the show's success and how it could potentially affect their relationship.
9 Billy Ray Compared Miley To Tragic Figures
We've heard plenty of affectionate comparisons a father could make about his daughter, but upon hearing a father compare his daughter to musicians who met an unfortunate and tragic fate, some questions need to be raised!
Billy Ray had an important and protective reason for his unusual choice to compare Miley to Kurt Cobain, but it doesn't bode well when we consider what happened to Kurt.
8 Billy Ray Kept Too Close Of A Hold On His Adult Daughter
It's a pretty universal experience to struggle with our parents during the teen years due to the immeasurable amount of teen angst, but Miley definitely had a unique experience! Imagine having to grow up on an incredibly popular TV show with millions of fans, only to have your father tag along 24/7.
Miley openly admitted that her new, questionable image was influenced by her dad's constant presence growing up.
7 Miley Weirdly Namechecks Her Dad In Tunes
It's normal for an artist to acknowledge their influences within their work, but the way Miley acknowledged Billy Ray in a recent song tribute makes us scratch our heads!
Miley's last few months have been rough, but she's still found time to have a bit of fun! She recently sang along to one of her older tunes featuring a questionable line about her dad.
6 Dad Really Wants Miley To Be Frozen In Time
The relationship between the Cyrus family and the vehicle that made Miley famous has been strained in the past, but Billy Ray seems to be considering salvaging the relationship with the iconic blonde wig. That's a bit weird, Billy Ray...
Papa Cyrus seems to be open to the idea. According to MSN, he spoke to Entertainment Tonight saying "I have a feeling it might."
5 Billy Ray Is Extremely Proud Of His Open-Mindedness
Papa is a verbose rolling stone!
We know Miley has never been shy about her beliefs when it comes to her private life, but what we didn't know is how supportive Billy Ray is when it comes to Miley's freedom of expression.
The subject matter makes us feel uncomfortable! Wouldn't it be extremely unusual for our dads to know so much about our personal lives?
4 Billy Ray Made His Daughter Part Of His Stage Act
The types of father and daughter outings and bonding experiences seem to be pretty limitless, and Billy Ray's idea of a father-daughter experience sets the bar pretty high, but it's still rather unusual because "normies" don't get to have this experience!
When Miley was a toddler, she got an early introduction to superstardom when Billy Ray would bring her up on stage.
3 Miley Isn't Happy About This Aspect Of Her Dad's Personality
We've all had those eye-roll worthy moments where our parents are caught not understanding the simple rules of social media - it's pretty unusual for the social media-struggling parent to be a superstar!
Miley recently called her father out in an extremely public fashion when he posted a photo from back in the day which was pretty blurry. It seems that regardless of fame level, every dad can be just as awkward as any other dad.
2 Billy Ray Let Miley Date A Grown Dude
If you've become a Miley fan after the 2008 year of Hannah Montana, this entry might surprise you (if it's still possible in relation to Miley!)
One of her first high profile romances happened while she was donning the 'Hannah' wig. She dated Billy Ray-approved Justin Gaston, who was also a favorite of a certain blonde pop star.
Dad believed age was just a number!
1 'Hannah Montana': The Life-Ruiner
Billy Ray has less-than-warm-memories of the sensation that brought Miley into superstardom! For a father who is actively involved in his daughter's business decisions, it's pretty odd for him to be so candid about Hannah Montana's effect on his family.
He didn't hesitate when describing exactly how tough 'Hannah's' success was to handle. Billy Ray explicitly said the show "ruined" the family's relationship.
References: GQ, Entertainment Tonight, Rare Country, Huffington Post, CMT, Popbuzz, CNN, Too Fab, Daily Mail, People, MSN, E!, Us Weekly, People, Hollywood Life