Miley Cyrus Celebrates 20 Years of ‘Hannah Montana’ with Disney+ Anniversary Special
Sporting her Hannah Montana-era blonde hair and bangs, Miley Cyrus revisited her roots—celebrating 20 years of the TV show that launched her career—with the premiere of the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special in Los Angeles on Monday evening.
Cyrus told The Associated Press that the milestone has given her a chance to see the character and series from “a novel perspective.” Cyrus, who starred in the show from age 13, played Miley Stewart, a tween and middle-schooler hiding her secret life as famous pop singer Hannah Montana.
“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.”
Celebrating Two Decades
The anniversary special, which began streaming Tuesday, March 24, 2026, on Disney+ and Hulu, celebrates 20 years since the show’s premiere on March 24, 2006. Disney+ notes the special was filmed in front of a live audience and features archival footage centered around an interview with Cyrus—now 33—conducted by podcast host Alex Cooper.
It includes several musical numbers, starting with the series anthem The Best of Both Worlds and ending with a new song dedicated to Cyrus’s younger self. The special too includes appearances by friends and family members, including father Billy Ray Cyrus, with whom Cyrus recreates their handshake from the series. Fellow actress Selena Gomez, who played a rival, makes an appearance, as does singer-songwriter Chappell Roan, who speaks to Cyrus’s influence on her career.
Addressing the audience at the premiere, Cyrus paid tribute to both 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.”
Cast Members Reflect on the Show’s Impact
Jason Earles, who played Miley’s brother Jackson, told The Associated Press that watching the show now highlights how much time has passed. ABC7 reports Earles remarked, “I think if you proceed 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.'”
Cody Linley, who played Miley’s on-and-off boyfriend Jake Ryan, reflected on the impact of portraying a teen heartthrob. Linley stated, “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. 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.”
Country singer Lainey Wilson also attended the premiere and recalled working as a Hannah Montana impersonator early in her career. Wilson shared, “From eighth 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 getup. I did birthday parties, fairs, festivals. I was hitting the roads.”
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