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Miley Cyrus has offered a heartfelt glimpse into her evolving relationship with her parents, Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus, following years of personal and public challenges. In a candid episode of The Interview podcast with The New York Times, released Saturday, May 31, the 32-year-old singer reflected on how her understanding of her parents has shifted over time.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to see my parents as individuals instead of just as parents,” Miley explained. “My mom has loved my dad for her whole life, and I think being married to someone in the music industry without being part of it yourself is really difficult.” She admitted that she carried some of her mother’s emotional burdens, saying, “I took on some of my mom’s hurt as my own because it hurt her more than it hurt me, and so I ended up owning a lot of that pain.”
Billy Ray, 53, and Tish, 57, were married from 1993 until their separation in 2022. Together, they raised Miley, Braison (30), and Noah (25), while Billy Ray also helped raise Tish’s children from a previous relationship, Brandi and Trace. He is also the father of Christopher, from a former relationship with Kristin Luckey.
Since their split, Miley has maintained a closer bond with her mother, but she emphasized that she is no longer estranged from her father. “Timing is everything,” she said thoughtfully. “Now that my mom is so in love with my stepdad, who I completely adore, and now that I see my dad finding happiness too I can love them both as individuals rather than as a couple. That’s part of growing up.”
Miley spoke openly about the inner conflict she experienced as she navigated her parents’ separation. “The little kid in you reacts first before the adult in you can say, ‘Yes, that’s your dad but he’s also a human being who deserves joy.’ My inner child has finally caught up.”
In 2023, Tish married actor Dominic Purcell, 55, in an intimate ceremony hosted at Miley’s home in Malibu. Meanwhile, Billy Ray has also moved forward, having confirmed a relationship with actress Elizabeth Hurley.
Miley acknowledged the scrutiny surrounding her family and shared her concern for her siblings. “I try to be more compassionate toward my parents because I hate that their personal lives have to be dissected,” she said. “I hate it even more for my siblings, because they didn’t choose to be in the spotlight. As for me, I’ve grown used to it it’s just part of my reality.”
