FOR a generation of Disney Channel fans, Hannah Montana was the ultimate feel-good escape – a glossy, feel-good hit that defined childhood and seemed a million miles away from scandal.
But 20 years on, that wholesome image has been shattered by claims of drug use on set, arrests, and a string of off-camera controversies that sparked global outrage.
At the centre of it all is Miley Cyrus, who shot to superstardom aged just 11 after beating thousands of hopefuls to land the lead role – only to later lift the lid on what really went on when the cameras stopped rolling…
Appearing on her mum Tish Cyrus and sister Brandi Cyrus’ Sorry We’re Cyrus podcast, she claimed that a core memory from filming was: “Dad smoking pot and everyone blaming me for it.”
She continued: “It’s hilarious! And he wasn’t sharing ‘cuz Tish wasn’t tokin’ yet.”
Brandi added: “I do remember that.”
However, Tish, who was married to Billy Ray for 28 years before finally divorcing in in 2022, had a rather different recollection of events.
Despite admitting she had received calls at the time about her then-husband allegedly “smoking pot,” she told how she refused to believe them.
Instead, she pointed the finger at former co-star Mitchel Musso, who played Oliver Oken.
“I was saying, ‘Absolutely not, he would never do that,’” Tish claimed. “It’s Mitchell Musso!”
“Well, it was Mitchell,” Miley alleged. “It was both!”
However, Musso denied such claims and, in a statement to E! News, said:
“Well, that’s not how I remember it. However, I’ve got plenty of stories from those years that might be worth having a conversation about. If we’re revisiting Hannah Montana history – just say the word.
“All love to Miley and the fam, even when the rewrites get this creative.”
And the drama didn’t stop when filming wrapped.
Musso later found himself in real-life trouble after being arrested in Texas in August 2023 on suspicion of public intoxication and theft after allegedly taking a bag of crisps from a hotel shop in Rockwall.
Police claimed: “When the subject was asked to pay for them, he became verbally abusive and left without rendering payment.”
They also alleged he showed “signs of intoxication” and had several outstanding traffic warrants.
Musso was arrested, spent the night behind bars and was later released on $1,000 bail.
But the actor strongly denied the allegations, insisting there had been a major mix-up.
“I was absolutely not drunk or drinking, and there was 100% no theft,” he said shortly after the arrest. “It’s unfortunate, it’s a misunderstanding.”
Three months later the case was dismissed, as reported by Los Angeles Times.
Breaking his silence on social media, the former child star told fans: “Thank you guys for standing with me during this time, want to thank you all for listening and being there. Sry couldn’t talk about it. Had to wait till the truth came out.”
Elsewhere, another storm erupted years after the show ended when a photo surfaced of 13-year-old singer Willow Smith lying on a bed beside a shirtless Moises Arias, who played Rico.
Though the pair were not touching or interacting directly, that didn’t stop the widespread criticism, with many questioning whether it was inappropriate due to Willow’s age.
“Umm…Will and Jada, come get your child!” wrote one, while another added: “As a parent, I don’t think I’m ok with this.”
The image even prompted an investigation by the LA social services, though Willow’s parents, Will and Jada Smith, insisted the photo was completely innocent.
And then there was Miley herself.
At the height of her fame, she sparked global backlash with a Vanity Fair shoot by Annie Leibovitz, posing aged 15 wrapped in a sheet with bare shoulders.
Miley later told People she felt “embarrassed,” while Leibovitz issued an apology, stating the portrait had been “misinterpreted.”
Disney bosses also blasted the shoot, saying: “Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines.”
But the biggest toll, it seems, was behind closed doors.
Miley has since alleged she was underpaid, overworked and left battling body dysmorphia and mental health struggles, while her dad claims the show came at a devastating personal cost.
“I’ll tell you right now, the damn show destroyed my family,” he said in 2011.
The gruelling pressures of working 12 hours a day didn’t help. Speaking to Marie Claire, Miley recalled: “Every morning, I was getting coffee jammed down my throat to wake me up.
“I just had to keep going, be tough, be strong. Everything happened to me on that set.”
Away from the spotlight, the pressure built.
“I would have anxiety attacks. I’d get hot flashes, feel like I was about to pass [out] or throw up. It would happen a lot before shows, and I’d have to cancel,” she explained.
“Then the anxiety started coming from anxiety. I would be with my friends, thinking I should be having so much fun. You get in this hole that seems like you’re never going to be able to get out of.”
Even playing Hannah Montana took its toll on her sense of self.
WHAT IS BODY DYSMORPHIA
The NHS describes BDD as: “A mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance.”
Crucially these ‘flaws’ are unnoticeable to anyone else.
But the health service adds it’s important to note having BDD doesn’t mean you’re vain or self-obsessed.
It states the condition can in fact be very distressing and have a big impact on someone’s life.
BDD can affect men and women of any age, but it is more common in teenagers and young adults.
What are the symptoms?
BDD is a serious condition, and the NHS warns: “BDD can seriously affect your daily life, including your work, social life and relationships.
“BDD can also lead to depression, self-harm and even thoughts of suicide.”
They detail some of the tell-tale signs as:
Worrying a lot about a specific area of your body (particularly your face)
Spending a lot of time comparing your looks with other people’s
Looking at yourself in mirrors a lot or avoid mirrors altogether
Going to a lot of effort to conceal flaws – for example, by spending a long time combing your hair, applying make-up or choosing clothes
Picking at your skin to make it “smooth”
“From the time I was 11, it was, ‘You’re a pop star! That means you have to be blonde, and you have to have long hair, and you have to put on some glittery tight thing.’ Meanwhile, I’m this fragile little girl playing a 16-year-old in a wig and a ton of makeup,” she told Marie Claire.
“I was told for so long what a girl is supposed to be from being on that show.
“I was made to look like someone that I wasn’t, which probably caused some body dysmorphia because I had been made pretty every day for so long, and then when I wasn’t on that show, it was like, “Who the f*** am I?”
In one particularly distressing memory from her time on the show, Miley Cyrus recalled getting her first period while filming – and while dressed in white trousers.
“It was so embarrassing, but I couldn’t leave,” she said. “I was crying, begging my mum: ‘You’re going to have to put the tampon in. I have to be on set.’”
She has also alleged that both she and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, were among the lowest-paid cast members, claiming they were taken advantage of due to their lack of experience with Hollywood pay deals.
And the impact didn’t just stop with her.
The family uprooted their lives from Nashville to Los Angeles for the show – a move that put huge strain on Billy Ray and Tish’s marriage.
They filed for divorce twice before reconciling, with Billy Ray later admitting the pressures of fame and filming pushed things to breaking point.
“I was going to work every single day knowing that my family had fallen apart, but yet I had to sit in front of that camera,” he said, speaking to GQ in 2011.
