Miley Cyrus has addressed the complicated relationship with her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus— here's what to know about the rumored family drama (2024)

"My father — I'm grateful for, first, his genes," she said. "My dad has great hair, and I got that. But also he has a relationship and a foot on the ground to the real and to nature and he always did, even when he was super famous."

When asked whether her father deserves as much "credit" for her career as her mom, who has been her manager for years, she said: "They're different. They can't be weighed on the same scale, actually."

Letterman then continued: "There's no estrangement here with your father. It's just kinda the way things are played?"

She said: "Yeah. I think what is so beautiful is that my parents, they served their children, and I know this. My parents served us and sacrificed so much for us. Anything we dreamed of, they made possible."

Fans on social media are seeing Cyrus's answers as further evidence that the family has split into two camps since Tish and her ex-husband Billy Ray finalized their divorce in 2022.

The former couple were married for around 30 years. They walked down the aisle together in 1993, a year after Miley was born. They later welcomed two more children together, son Braison and daughter Noah.

The Cyrus family also includes Tish's two older children, Brandi and Trace, whom she welcomed with her ex, Baxter Neal Helson, but whom Billy Ray adopted upon their marriage. Billy Ray also has a son, Christopher Cody, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Kristin Luckey.

So, what's going on in the Cyrus family? Let's break down all the evidence.

When Billy Ray and Tish officially divorced in 2022, it was after more than a decade of marital difficulties

The couple first filed divorce papers in 2010, but a year later, the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer said on "The View"that they had reconciled.

Two years later, in 2013, Tish again filed for divorce, but the following month, E! News reported that they had rekindled their relationship againafter attending couples therapy.

Things seemed to be going well between the pair up until the last few years, when Tish filed for divorce again in April 2022, citing "irreconcilable differences," People reported. Per the divorce filing seen by the outlet, the former spouses had been separated for more than two years and were living separately.

In the wake of her parents' third and final separation, fans noticed that Noah had unfollowed her mom on Instagram

Fans were quick to speculate that Noah could be siding with her dad in the split, given the fact that she appeared to eitherunfollow or block Tish — who is also her co-manager — on Instagram, as first spotted by a social media user in August 2022.

Sometime between then and now, the pair appear to have refollowed each other, and they are currently on each other's follow lists.

After the divorce, Billy Ray began dating Australian singer Firerose, whom he proposed to in August 2022

Cyrus told People that he originally met Firerose, whose real name is Johanna Rosie Hodges, sometime in 2010 while he was on the set of "Hannah Montana," the Disney Channel series that propelled Miley to superstardom.

The pair — who have a 27-year age gap — said they first became friends, and then musical collaborators, releasing their first song together in 2021.

By summer 2022, the pair had become more than friends, with Firerose moving into Cyrus's Franklin, Tennessee, farm. They announced their engagementon Instagram on November 20, 2022.

At the time, Billy Ray said that everything was good between him, his children — and his ex-wife

Speaking to People about his engagement, the country star addressed the rumors of a rift in the family following his divorce from Tish.

"Everyone knew that that relationship was over a long time ago," he told the magazine. "Everybody's turning the page. It's been a lot, but everyone knew that it was time for a change."

Tish Cyrus moved on with actor Dominic Purcell, and they announced their engagement in April 2023

Tish and the "Prison Break" star first revealed that they were together on November 27, 2022, exactly a week after Billy Ray shared his engagement announcement.

On April 29, 2023, Tish announced on Instagram that the two were engaged.

Not all of Tish's children attended her and Purcell's wedding, raising eyebrows among fans

In August 2023, Tish walked down the aisle for a second time in an intimate ceremony held poolside at a private residence in Malibu, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Her eldest children, Brandi and Trace Cyrus, who were legally adopted by Billy Ray during their marriage, were part of the wedding party, as was Miley, per photos published by Just Jaredand theDaily Mail.

However, Noah and Braison were notably absent from the event.

While the wedding was taking place, Noah and Braison made it very clear that they were elsewhere

The two siblings posed in several Instagram Stories posted on Noah's account on the day of Tish's wedding.

In one, Braison — who, according to his Instagram, resides in Nashville, Tennessee — can be seen holding up a restaurant menu. Noah wrote over the photo that her brother "flew" to Los Angeles to see her, which some fans interpreted as a slight toward Tish, whose wedding took place in nearby Malibu.

In other photos and videos posted by the "July" singer, she and Braison filmed themselves hanging out in Walmart, and Noah can be seen cuddling up to her brother on a sofa after enjoying a "sleepover" with him and another friend.

In one of the snaps, Noah can be seen wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with Billy Ray's face

The picture shows Noah leaning her head against her brother's shoulder while sitting at a table. Visible in the photo is Noah's black T-shirt, featuring a photo of her father in his younger, mullet-sporting days.

Trace shared an Instagram story the day after the wedding that fans think hinted at a divide between the Cyrus siblings

The day after Tish's nuptials, Trace posted an old photograph on his Instagram story of him, Brandi, and Miley as kids sitting on Tish's lap, tagging his two sisters and mom.

Tish reposted the throwback snap on her own Instagram story, adding five red heart emojis.

None of the Cyruses have publicly addressed the rumors of a rift, but fans also think Miley snubbed her dad with her latest single

Miley and Billy Ray do not currently follow each other on Instagram; it's unclear how long that has been the case.

Miley also released her latest single, "Used to Be Young," on August 25, 2023 — which happened to be Billy Ray's birthday.

Some of her fans interpreted this as intentional, given that the singer released her breakup ballad, "Flowers," on the eve of ex-husband Liam Hemsworth's birthday in January 2023.

Tish and Billy Ray also do not follow each other on Instagram.

Representatives for Miley, Tish, Billy Ray, Noah, Braison, Trace, and Brandi Cyrus did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

While accepting the award for best pop solo performance for her song "Flowers" at the 2024 Grammys,the singer chose not to thank her dad in her acceptance speech.

Miley thanked her mother, Tish, her sister, Brandi, her boyfriend, Maxx Morando, and her "main gays" for styling her look after her song "Flowers" won record of the year. "I don't think I forgot anyone — but I might have forgotten underwear. Bye!" the singer quipped before leaving the stage.

Fans on social media are seeing the omission as further evidence that the family has divided into two camps.