Now a true pop star, Miley Cyrus returns to her 'Hannah Montana' roots
to fete anniversary special
[March 24, 2026]
By LIAM MCEWAN
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sporting that “Hannah Montana” blonde hair and bangs,
Miley Cyrus went back to her roots — celebrating 20 years of the TV show
that launched the career of a real-life pop star.
Cyrus reunited with cast members of “Hannah Montana” in Los Angeles
Monday evening for the premiere of the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary
Special.”
Cyrus told The Associated Press that the milestone has given her a
chance to see the character and series from “a new perspective.” Cyrus,
who began the Disney Channel show at age 13, played Miley Stewart, a
tween and middle-schooler hiding her secret life as a famous pop singer.
“Getting to be on the outside now, getting to be grown and be a part of
it in a way that I couldn’t when I was in the middle of it before, and
all the chaos and the schedule and the performing of it all,” Cyrus
said, “now it just gets to be a celebration. So it is a new perspective.
I love that.”
The anniversary special, which started streaming Tuesday on Disney+ and
Hulu, celebrates 20 years since the show’s premiere. Filmed in front of
a live audience, it features music, archival footage and an interview
with Cyrus — now 33 and a genuine pop star — conducted by podcast host
Alex Cooper.
Addressing the audience at the premiere, Cyrus paid tribute both to
fellow cast members and fans. “Without you all, this show would have
never been what it is, and I love saying what it is, not what it was,”
she said.
“Tonight isn’t about looking back into the past, but it’s about what it
means to us still tonight,” she said.
Jason Earles, who played Miley’s brother Jackson, told the AP that
watching the show now highlights how much time has passed.
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Miley Cyrus arrives at the premiere of "Hannah Montana 20th
Anniversary Special" on Monday, March 23, 2026, at El Capitan
Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
 “I think if you go back and you
watch the episodes, there’s enough dated references like old flip
phones and stuff that you go, ‘Oh no, no, this show was a little
while ago,'” he said.
Cody Linley, who played Miley’s on-and-off boyfriend Jake Ryan,
reflected on the impact of portraying a teen heartthrob.
“It’s hard to believe that there were girls that had pictures of me
with my shirt off in their locker and they would have me sign it,”
Linley said. “And it’s hard not to let it go to your head, because
you have to remember that it’s an image that they are seeing. It’s
not you.”
Also attending the premiere was country singer Lainey Wilson, who
recalled working as a “Hannah Montana” impersonator early in her
career.
“From 8th grade to 12th grade, five years of my life, I would open
up the show as Lainey Wilson, I would run behind a tree and put on
my ‘Hannah Montana’ get-up,” the singer said. “I did birthday
parties, fairs, festivals … I was hitting the roads.”
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