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Miley Cyrus Transforms into ‘Hannah Montana’ in 20th Anniversary Special First Look
Life's what you make it, so Miley Cyrus decided to make it rock, manifesting the March 24 Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special well before Disney had agreed to it.
"I learned this terrible habit—but I actually think it was good advice," she told Variety in March, some eight months after she declared during a Sirius XM interview that she wanted to do "something really, really special" for her fame-making series' 20th anniversary.
According to Cyrus, godmother Dolly Parton "told me that if you want something to happen, promote it before it exists. Then no one can say 'no.' So I just started promoting a Hannah Montana 20th-anniversary special that literally did not exist."
Fortunately execs didn't tell their star to let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.
Instead, they agreed to let the Grammy winner return to her blonde roots for an hourlong concert (featuring the series' beloved hits like "The Best of Both Worlds" and "This Is the Life," a sit-down with superfan Alex Cooper and a cameo from Selena Gomez), filmed in front of 215 eager young millennials this past February.
"I didn’t want to do this modern approach to Hannah," the 33-year-old explained to Variety. "I wanted to keep it preserved. But also, now Hannah wears Gucci."
Because she was a teen when she shot to megastardom playing the dual roles of normal teenager Miley Stewart and the eponymous musician from 2006 to 2011. And by the time Hannah Montana: The Movie dropped in 2009, the IRL pop star had far eclipsed country singer dad Billy Ray Cyrus' fame. (Though the "Achy Breaky Heart" musician also played Miley's father onscreen.)
The most popular of the beloved Disney Channel offerings, it boasts a series of impressive stats: The soundtrack from the first season was the first to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 and the Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert documentary was the highest-grossing concert film at the time of its 2008 release.
As Miley put it to Variety, "There were times where Hannah Montana felt like the Beatles or something."
Of course she's continued to collect her flowers since, nabbing the first of three Grammy awards in 2024 for her ubiquitous single "Flowers."
Disney
"A lot of artists feel like to become the next version of themselves, they have to leave something behind," Miley posited to Variety of embracing the nostalgia. "But I'd rather be more like a gorgeous patchwork blanket. I'd rather take every little piece of all the things that I've been and create a mosaic of exactly who I am now—not trashing any of that past but allowing it to come with me."
After all, she noted, "My entire life is because of that loyalty."
So come with us as we revisit what she and the rest of the Hannah Montana crew have been up to as they've experienced the best of both worlds.
DISNEY CHANNEL/ISABELLA VOSMIKOVA/Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock
Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana / Miley Stewart)
The star of the show is still a total rock star. Since performing as Hannah Montana, she dropped Bangerz (2013), Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (2015), Younger Now (2017) Plastic Hearts (2020), Endless Summer Vacation (2023) and Something Beautiful (2025). She also won her first Grammy in 2023 for her hit "Flowers."
After splitting from Last Song costar Liam Hemsworth, she went on to date Cody Simpson, Kaitlynn Carter. She is now engaged to Maxx Morando.
Jesse Grant/WireImage/Dan MacMedan/Getty Image
Emily Osment (Lilly Truscott)
After Hannah Montana ended its four-season run in 2011, the actress went on to voice characters on animated programs like Family Guy and Rainbow Brite and appear on shows such as Mom, Young & Hungry, Cleaners and The Kominsky Method. Now, she stars in Geogie & Mandy's First Marriage on CBS.
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Jason Earles (Jackson Stewart)
After Hannah Montana ended, the actor went on to star on shows such as Disney XD's Kickin' It, WTH: Welcome to Howler and Hotel Du Loone. In 2017, he married Katie Drysen.
Dean Hendler/Disney Channel via Getty Images; Michael Bezjian/Getty Images
Mitchel Musso (Oliver Oken)
The actor appeared on the show Pair of Kings and hosted PrankStars after Hannah Montana ended. In 2011, at age 20, he was arrested for a DUI, after which his character was written off the former show and the latter was canceled. In recent years, he has continued to act and has portrayed characters on the animated programs Phineas and Ferb and Milo Murphy's Law.
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Moises Arias (Rico)
In recent years, the actor has appeared on shows such as The Middle and Jean-Claude Van Johnson and movies such as Ben-Hur and Pitch Perfect 3. In 2020, he starred in the Pete Davidson-Judd Apatow film The King of Staten Island. Now, he stars in The Fallout.
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Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (Ashley Dewitt)
In late 2011, she starred in the Broadway revival of Godspell. She is also a singer, opening for the Jonas Brothers Asia 2012 tour.
In recent years, she has appeared on episodes of shows such as Baby Daddy and Charmed. In November 2018, she got engaged to boyfriend Scott Kline. The two tied the knot the following June with actress Uzo Aduba serving as maid of honor.
Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage/JB Lacroix/WireImage
Shanica Knowles (Amber Addison)
After Hannah Montana ended, the actress went on to appear on shows such as Melissa & Joey, The Young and the Restless and various TV movies, such as 2018's Life-Size 2.
DISNEY CHANNEL/ERIC MCCANDLESS/Getty Images
Cody Linley (Jake Ryan)
The star finished fourth on the the seventh season of Dancing With The Stars in 2008 and released his debut album four years later. He also continued his acting career, appearing on two episodes of Melissa & Joey and in the TV movies Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens and Sharknado 5: Global Swarming.
Jesse Grant/WireImage/Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Billy Ray Cyrus (Robby Ray Stewart)
Miley's onscreen and IRL dad continues to concentrate on his music career. In 2019, after several country hits, he earned his first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 after joining Lil Nas X on the official remix of the record-breaking smash hit "Old Town Road." In 2016 and 2017, he starred on the show Still the King.
Following a 2022 split from wife Tish Cyrus, Billy was briefly married to Australian singer Firerose. Ten months after announcing their divorce, he revealed his romance with actress Elizabeth Hurley, the pair suprising fans with a PDA-filled Easter post in April 2025.
David Livingston/Getty Images/Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Noah Cyrus
Miley's little sister appeared on six episodes of Hannah Montana. She began a music career in 2016 and released her debut single, "Make Me (Cry)." In 2018, she dated Lil Xan and they released the collaboration "Live or Die." The two broke up after a couple of months.
She got engaged to designer Pinkus in 2023.
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