Miley Cyrus is reflecting on her Disney Channel days and the years that followed as she opened up about why she didn’t perform Hannah Montana songs after leaving the show. 

Speaking on Spotify’s The Ringer podcast, Cyrus explained that after stepping away from her role on Hannah Montana, she was actually not allowed to perform the music that made her famous.

“After I left Disney, I wasn’t allowed to perform any of the Hannah Montana music,” she shared. 

“It’s not like I wanted to, I mean performing The Best Of Both Worlds between We Can’t Stop and Wrecking Ball, wouldn’t have really made sense.” 

Still, the restriction carried an emotional weight. 

“It was still sad knowing those songs have my voice, my face, and I wasn’t allowed to sing them.”

Things eventually changed in 2024 when Cyrus was honoured with the Disney Legend award. That recognition not only acknowledged her place in Disney history but also gave her a new opportunity. 

“After being inducted as a Disney Legend, I was given permission to perform those songs in the future, which is pretty cool,” she said.

Cyrus has spent years redefining her image since her time as the Disney pop star.

Her transition included some controversial moments, including her headline-making performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards where she danced provocatively alongside Robin Thicke during Blurred Lines. 

Looking back on that era, she offered a tongue-in-cheek apology during her Disney Legends acceptance speech. 

“I definitely wasn’t created in a lab and if I was there must’ve been a bug in the system which caused me to malfunction somewhere between the years of 2013 and ‘16. Sorry, Mickey.”