Billy Ray Cyrus shuts down speculation after Miley drops her last name
The country singer reacts to his daughter Miley Cyrus dropping her last name from her public profiles
Published September 02, 2026
Billy Ray Cyrus has revealed how he feels about his daughter Miley Cyrus dropping her last name from her public profiles.
Despite rumoured past tensions among the Cyrus clan, the country singer insisted that he is nothing but supportive of Miley’s latest decision, calling it a “natural progression for an iconic superstar.”
“Family means more than ever now. I always called my little girl Miley,” Billy Ray wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of young Miley with her brother Braison. “Just… Miley. Just like I always called my little boy Braison.”
The Old Town Road singer noted that he, too, adopted a single name back the ‘90s, but he was urged to hold onto “Billy Ray” by his record label. “Bet you didn’t know… I was just CYRUS before Achy Breaky Heart came out in 92,” he recalled.
The father of six then shared what he told Miley about changing her name.
“I told @miley yesterday I felt good about her going with her first name. I mentioned Dolly and Cher,” he revealed. “Thinkin about it more and more… Elvis .. Prince… and so on. It’s a natural progression for an iconic superstar legend. And the legend continues!”
Billy Ray concluded his message by sharing his support for Miley’s newly announced album, Bass Persuades, set to release on September 18th.
