Apparently, battle lines have been drawn.
Celebrity feuds (no, not the lighthearted ones) can be chaotic. However, once the drama involves an entire bloodline, things can get even messier. The latest example? Miley Cyrus’ noticeably divided family. In recent years, fans have picked up on a presumed tension between the Billy Ray and the daughter he was once so close with. And now, speculation suggests their rift has trickled to other family members. Let’s discuss.
The rumored friction seemingly began after Billy Ray and ex-wife Tish Cyrus announced their divorce in April 2022. Since their split, the two have moved on and each gotten re-married; however, it appears not everyone is on board with these new romances. The Cyrus siblings — Miley, Noah, Braison, Trace, and Brandi — had notably split appearances at their parents’ new weddings.
Also, Miley didn’t shout out her dad in her Grammys speech earlier in 2024, pointedly remarking that she “didn’t forget anybody.” Many fans caught on to the Billy Ray snub, and wondered if there was some truth to the speculated drama.
So, let’s backtrack and dissect the family’s rumored tension.
In April 2022, Tish (whose real name is Leticia Jean) filed for divorce from Billy Ray after nearly 30 years of marriage. The former couple released a statement to People, noting their split was due to “irreconcilable differences.”
This separation marked the third time they’ve filed for divorce. In October 2010, Billy Ray reportedly opted out of the marriage, but he reunited with his former wife seven months later. Then, Tish followed similar footsteps in 2013; however, she mended their relationship after they tried couple’s therapy that same year.
In August 2022, rumors of the family rift officially started. That month, fans noticed the Plastic Hearts singer and her father unfollowed each other on Instagram. The reason behind the unfollowing is still unknown.
One month later, Billy Ray’s new romance with a singer named Firerose became public. In September, a source told People the two musicians had “been dating for a little while,” but clarified their relationship began after his divorce from Tish. The source also noted “they grew close while working on music together,” and that can be seen on Firerose’s Instagram. In August 2021, she posted a photo of her and Billy Ray preparing to perform their duet, “New Day,” on Live with Kelly and Ryan.
That’s not all, though. It seemed Firerose also used the platform to tease their relationship. One month before the source confirmed their romance, she celebrated Billy Ray’s birthday with a selfie.
Shortly after Billy Ray and Firerose’s relationship was revealed, a source told E! News that Miley was having a hard time dealing with her parents’ split. “The divorce between her parents has put a strain on her relationship with her dad and it’s been hard to connect with him in the last year,” the insider said. “[Miley] hopes they can eventually work on their relationship.”
The source also added that while Miley “hopes her dad is happy,” she’s grown a closer bond with her mom since the start of the divorce.
Billy Ray wasn’t the only one to move on. In November 2022, Tish hard-launched her new relationship with Prison Break actor Dominic Purcell on Instagram. It’s not known when the two officially met; however, the new couple wasted no time in showing glimpses of their romance in the following months.
After nine months of dating, Tish and Purcell got married in August 2023. According to Vogue, the duo had an intimate wedding in Malibu and the attendance was a bit... split. Miley served as her mom’s bridesmaid, and her siblings Brandi and Trace were in the audience. Meanwhile, the singer’s other two siblings, Noah and Braison, notably skipped the ceremony and were spotted at a Wal-Mart in Los Angeles that same day.
Nearly two months after Tish remarried, Billy Ray tied the knot with Firerose. The duo shared a few photos from their ceremony on Instagram, and it seemed none of the Cyrus siblings attended.
Miley seemed to send a message at this year’s Grammys, which she attended with Trish and her older sister, Brandi. The singer won two gold trophies — most notably, Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year — for her Endless Summer Vacation single “Flowers.”
During her acceptance speech for the latter nomination, Miley showed love to the members she came with (including her new beau Maxx Morando), but not Billy Ray. Many fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, spotted the snub and wondered if the divorce actually built a wedge between the siblings.
That theory only heightened on Feb. 14. An insider told Us Weekly that Billy Ray had “tried reaching out to Miley many times” to congratulate her on the Grammy wins... to no avail.
“Miley and Billy Ray are on the outs,” the source said. “Miley’s very close with her mom and is standing by her. The kids have chosen sides, but friends are hoping the rift doesn’t last forever.”
After Noah skipped Tish’s wedding in August, fans thought it might have to do with the larger family feud — but, according to sources, it was more personal than that. “Noah and Dominic were seeing each other in a friends with benefits way, off and on. They stopped seeing each other and then Tish started something up,” a source told People in March. “Tish knew he had been seeing Noah.”
“Tish never gave Noah the chance to talk about all of this before they got married,” the insider added. (At the time of the reports, Noah’s rep was contacted and offered no comment.)
Then, on March 3, an insider claimed that Miley “had no idea” about the situation between Noah and Dominic. The source told People, “Miley had no idea about the drama with Dominic. No idea at all.”
Apparently, the “Flowers” singer has since talked to Tish about it. “She confronted her mom about it. She thinks it’s a strange situation, but she loves her mom and wants her to be happy,” the source added.
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