Twenty years ago, Hannah Montana premiered on Disney Channel, leaving an indelible mark on pop culture for decades to come. Now, Miley Cyrus has found her way back home to Disney studios to celebrate the special anniversary of the show that transformed her from an ordinary girl from Tennessee into a worldwide rockstar sensation.
In honor of that pivotal moment, Cyrus dyed her hair blonde and helped bring the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special to life for Disney+, teaming up with super fan Alex Cooper to put the show together. The hour-long special features Cyrus performing Hannah Montana tracks she hasn’t played live in more than a decade, an interview between the singer and Cooper, celebrity appearances, a rebuilt set identical to the show’s original one, and a healthy dose of late-aughts nostalgia.
It’s a fan-forward event meant to bring everyone who diligently watched all four seasons of the show, from 2006 till 2012, back to those brighter days. “Hannah, she gave me my start but my fans gave me this life,” Cyrus says at one point. Read our key takeaways below.
It’s the Best of Both Worlds — Miley Performs a New Song
Cyrus opens what she called the “Hannahversary” with the series’ meta theme song “The Best of Both Worlds” and later dove into a sing-along version of “This Is the Life.” It’s quite special seeing an adult Cyrus, dressed as Hannah, singing these old songs, especially when she whips out the cinematic number “The Climb.” But Cyrus brought on all the feels with “Younger You,” a heartbreaking new song she penned just for the anniversary. “Hey you, it’s younger you / I’m just checking in to see if you still remember me… Somewhere along the way we lost touch / We used to be happy just because,” her gravelly voice sings over soft chords and harp notes. The melancholy song is the perfect way to close out the special — and it will leave every Hannah Montana fan in tears.
Chappell Roan Makes a Surprise Appearance
In the trailer for the special, Cyrus is in her dressing room when she “hear[s] high heels that are not mine.” Turns out the stilettos belong to Chappell Roan and the special marks her first in-person meeting with Cyrus. From inside the famed Hannah Montana closet, the pop star raves about her role model: “I’m so grateful that I get to be a part of this. I mean I grew up watching Hannah at my grandparents’ house and it just means so much,” Roan says. She also makes a point to thank Cyrus for her bold trajectory, which inspired Roan’s own relentless attitude. “What I do onstage or where I can go on a red carpet and just be… that’s because you took a lot of the heat for that in 2012, 2013. I don’t have to deal with that as much because the world took it out on you,” Roan tells Cyrus.
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For the unacquainted, Roan has been a vocal mega-fan of Cyrus and Hannah Montana for years. After the singer-actress was inducted as a Disney Legend, the pop star gushed, “I want to be like Hannah Montana,” she said. In 2023, Roan even performed in Hannah Montana drag for a couple of live shows. Her brief but meaningful appearance in the special culminated a sweet, full-circle moment.
Selena Gomez Returns to Set
Back in 2007, just months before Wizards of Waverly Place helped make Selena Gomez a household name, the young Disney star played a recurring role as Hannah’s pop princess rival, the fierce Mikayla. For the special, Gomez returned to the Hannah Montana set to reunite with Cyrus — and Mikayla’s signature red fedora. The pair remembered their sassy comebacks from the two episodes which featured Mikayla, where they traded insults like “lip-syncher” and “bra-stuffer.” “It’s pretty mean! I don’t think they would get away with saying half of that stuff,” Gomez exclaims. “We can make amends now,” Cyrus responds. In a cutaway scene, the two Disney icons share a hug as they walked off set.
While Gomez and Cyrus may have been talking about their scripted insults, the moment could also be read as a final word on the rumored rift the two had shortly after they worked together. Around that time, both stars fell for the same boy, Nick Jonas, and the rest is history. The two seemed to shade each other online and in songs, but have since outgrown that petty dispute. While Gomez and Cyrus have supported each other publicly and even reunited at the 2026 Golden Globes, it’s a treat watching the two stars bury the hatchet on a Disney set.
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Miley Spills the Tea on Her Disney Boy Crushes
The crush discussion doesn’t stop there; Cyrus’ IDGAF energy is off the charts as she reveals which of the Disney Channel boys stole her young heart. “I thought Mitchell Musso was really cute,” she says of her Hannah co-star, who played her best friend Oliver in the show. She also confirms what OceanUp surely rumored: She dated Dylan Sprouse. Of course, like every other tween at the time, Cyrus also had a major crush on Zac Efron.
As for fictional boyfriends, Cooper asked the most important question: Who would Miley pick now when it comes to Jake Ryan or Jesse? “Jake,” Cyrus whispered sheepishly. “You know what, he’s always out there saying really nice things about me in the press and… Jesse, I haven’t heard a peep.” As Leslie would say, oh, she’s just being Miley.
The High School Musical Cast Were the Cool Kids
As Cooper notes, 2006 was a special time for Disney with the history-making premiere of High School Musical, the introduction of Hannah Montana, and shows like That’s So Raven and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody in their prime. Even though Cyrus was a central part of that era, she was still enamored by the star power emanating from the High School Musical cast, particularly the movie’s leads. She revealed that one of her favorite memories from that time was when Efron and Vanessa Hudgens picked her up in a “black car” for their press day in New York. “They loved me because I was mature for my age,” she says with a knowing smile.
There’s Also Taylor Swift Drama from Hannah Montana: The Movie
Many fans know Taylor Swift played an important part in Hannah Montana: The Movie: Just a few months before she released her breakout album Fearless, she agreed to give Disney a song for the film and even offered to perform the mushy waltz in a cameo appearance. Subsequently, the singer-songwriter also wrote the iconic closing track in the film, “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home.” But Miley suggests there was some behind-the-scenes drama. “Okay, so for that scene, get the tea kettle,” she says, darting her eyes to the right. But, unfortunately, she doesn’t quite spill. Instead, Cyrus simply says that the film was “looking for someone that would authentically, no shade, I guess be performing in a barn.” She also gives Swift her flowers for penning the finale song, calling it a “banger.”
It begs to question whether the rumors that floated around in 2009 that the two country pop singers were in a rift over actor Lucas Till are real. In the film, Till played Miley’s love interest and a month later he starred in Swift’s “You Belong With Me” music video, leading fans to believe that the video’s treatment portrayed a supposed love triangle between all three teens. But it seems we’ll have to wait until the 50th anniversary of Hannah Montana for any of that to be revealed.
It’s a Family Affair
While most of the cast members do not appear in the special, the Cyrus family is front and center. Trish Cyrus, Miley’s mom, Billy Ray Cyrus, and even Miley’s younger sister, Noah, all make an appearance. “Whenever there needed to be a little girl in the scene, we would always sacrifice Noah,” Miley says in one of the final moments.
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Of course, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley’s real-life father played a loosely fictionalized version of himself in the show. So it’s especially touching to watch the famous father-duo return to their fictional home and to their idiosyncratic ways. They do their famous handshake and even read a scene together from one of the series’ final episodes. “It was one of the funnest things of my life being part of this show,” Billy Ray says before he and Miley walk out the doors of their on-screen home, arm in arm.
Meanwhile, the special emphasizes Trish’s behind-the-scenes impact on Hannah Montana, from her prowess in the costume department to her marketing savvy. She and Miley take a walk down memory lane, picking out iconic pieces of Hannah’s fashion through the years, and even look through a photo album dedicated to the show. In one of the most evocative moments of the entire special, Miley tears up and tells her mom: “I’ve loved being Hannah. I’ve loved being Miley Cyrus. But what I’m most proud of is who I am as a person. You really taught me to be who I am.”
