How Miley Cyrus Reconciled With Estranged Dad Billy Ray After Nasty Family Feud

While it's one of the most prominent dynasties in music, the Cyrus family has also been plagued by tragedy, with one of the most notable examples being a very public falling out between patriarch Billy Ray Cyrus and his most famous child, Miley Cyrus. For years, the father-daughter duo was the heart and soul of the Cyrus clan, starring opposite each other on the beloved Disney Channel sitcom "Hannah Montana." But, although Billy Ray was supportive of Miley's controversial post-Disney rebrand, it was the end of his marriage to her mother Tish Cyrus that drove a wedge between them (and caused some other family drama, as well). In the end, though, they eventually managed to mend fences. 

By all accounts, Billy Ray and Tish's 2022 divorce rocked the Cyruses to their core. The "Flowers" hitmaker reportedly sided with her mom, causing a schism with Billy Ray. To make matters more complicated, the Grammy winner's younger sister apparently remained loyal to their father, which may be partly why Noah Cyrus will never forgive Miley. Things got particularly shady at the Grammy Awards in February 2024, when the former Disney star snubbed both her brother and sister during her Record of the Year acceptance speech. 

Not long after, a source dished to Us Weekly that Billy Ray had contacted Miley in order to congratulate her, but things remained icy between them. "Friends are hoping the rift doesn't last forever," they shared. Fortunately, the feud between Miley and Billy Ray was seemingly over by May 2025, when the two reunited to celebrate her brother Braison Cyrus' birthday. The country icon then publicly wished Miley a happy birthday six months later.

Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus' estrangement was really only the tip of the iceberg considering the family drama that had been brewing for a decade before finally boiling over as a result of his divorce from Tish Cyrus. "Half of us weren't speaking to each other at one point," Miley admitted of their complex family dynamics during a June 2025 appearance on Monica Lewinsky's "Reclaiming" podcast, adding that they had since "cleaned all that up." As for how she and her father managed to patch up their relationship, it was simply a matter of allowing themselves to share space again.

"I watched what happens when you don't clean things up as they're happening. They really do stack, and then all of a sudden you go, 'Oh my god, it's been 10 years, and this is a mess that I barely even know how to start,'" the Grammy winner explained. So, rather than sift through all that baggage piece by piece, Miley opted to "bust through the pile" instead. "'I'm here. You're here. Let's start by having a good time together,'" she said of her thought process. "And then as we start bringing some happiness and joy into each other's life, then we'll just be in a better place to have these conversations."

To that end, the "Party in the U.S.A." hitmaker stood by her somewhat unconventional approach to re-establishing contact with her dad and estranged siblings, as she felt that trying traditional family counseling would have done more harm than good. In fact, even suggesting it would've caused chaos as far as Miley was concerned. As the former Disney star concluded, ultimately, "It was easier to just go, 'White flag,'" and move forward.