Billy Ray Cyrus Shares Emotional Throwback Photo With Miley Cyrus Amid Alleged Alienation
Billy Ray Cyrus is getting incredibly vulnerable on Instagram. The country music legend posted a Reel with the most precious photo of him and daughter Miley Cyrus from the early 90s. It’s a close-up of him holding the “Wrecking Ball” star, cradling her head against his cheek.
But the throwback is far from the cutest part. In the caption, Billy Ray calls the moment “one of my best memories ever.”
“That’s @mileycyrus and me, surrounded by thousands of incredible fans at the [Country Music Awards festival],” he said. “The next day, someone handed me this picture, and I wrote that poem right then on the bus.”
Underneath the photo, Billy Ray placed two pieces of paper that have a handwritten and heartwrenching poem titled “The Moment.” Amid the scribbles and edits, Billy Ray penned a moving poem about the photo and him — “an armored shining knight” — and Miley — “the princess that he loved.”
He pondered what she knew — noting that despite her youth and innocence, her thoughts seemed to run deep. “Perhaps she feared for the warrior,” he wrote in the melancholy piece.
“This picture’s way too happy to make me feel so sad / So let’s just end by saying / For the moment I am glad,” he finished.
They’re sad words to read given the alleged rift between the “Butterfly Fly Away” singer and his daughter. The father-daughter duo — who many remember as loving co-stars on Hannah Montana — have seemingly grown estranged in the two years since Billy Ray’s divorce from ex-wife Tish Cyrus. After all, Miley famously didn’t thank her father when she accepted the Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year awards at the 2024 Grammys.
Which makes it all the more notable that Billy Ray set the still video to “Flowers” — Miley’s award-winning song about independence!
“I’m incredibly proud of her,” he continued his post. “She’s a survivor and a true artist. She learned early on to love and appreciate the fans who make everything possible. We both cherish the connection we have with our fans and are grateful for every single one of you!”
It’s a seemingly sweet and genuine move from an alienated dad who clearly has an “achy breaky heart.” The comments have been limited, so who knows if Miley, her siblings, or Tish would have commented.
Billy Ray and Tish had a tumultuous relationship where they filed for divorce multiple times between 2010 and 2022. When news broke in 2013 that Billy Ray had filed for divorce, Miley tweeted, “@billyraycyrus since your text and email obviously aren’t working would you like to talk like this?”
In 2022, an insider told E! News that Miley was closer to Tish during their finalized divorce that year. “The divorce between her parents have put a strain on her relationship with her dad and it’s been hard to connect with him in the last year,” the source said. “She hopes they can eventually work on their relationship.”
Who knows — maybe this sentimental post was the olive branch the duo needed.