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Credit: DisneyGet ready, millennials, because Miley Cyrus just confirmed the best Disney news since the return of Phineas and Ferb.
To say that Miley Cyrus is Disney Channel royalty seems like an understatement. Back in the mid-2000s, Cyrus – then just 13 years old – first hit TV screens as Miley Stewart, a regular girl living in Malibu who just so happened to live a double life as global pop sensation Hannah Montana.
Over the next five years, Hannah Montana established itself as one of the network’s biggest shows of all time, while also simultaneously catapulting Cyrus to the same level of fame experienced by her fictional counterpart.
During her time in the blonde wig, Cyrus went on tour as Hannah Montana, as well as starring in Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009). The show also served as the springboard for Cyrus’ non-Hannah pop career, with the star releasing hits such as “See You Again,” “7 Things,” and (most controversially) “Can’t Be Tamed” during Hannah Montana‘s run.
For parents, the most memorable thing about Cyrus’ stint on the Disney Channel was the growing backlash that met the star’s attempts to forge a more adult image.
Incidents such as her decision to dance with a pole while singing “Party in the USA” at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards and a leaked video that appeared to show Cyrus smoking salvia with a bong made Cyrus a controversial figure for some, but ultimately did very little to damage her enduring status as a Disney icon.
The Walt Disney Company made this fact official last year at D23, where Cyrus was inducted as the youngest-ever Disney Legend.
“I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana because she made Miley in so many ways,” Cyrus said during the ceremony (where fans were disappointed that another performer sang Hannah Montana tunes instead of Cyrus herself). “This award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans, and to everyone who has made my dream a reality. To quote the legend herself, ‘This is the life.'”
One thing that made Cyrus’ speech so notable was the fact that it seemed like the star had spent many years trying to distance herself from Hannah Montana. To quote Cyrus herself while discussing Hannah in an appearance on SNL in 2013, “She was murdered.”
Over the years, however, it seems like the singer has warmed to her former alter-ego – to the point that she’s now confirmed big plans for the show’s 20th anniversary.
Miley Cyrus Confirms Big Plans For Hannah Montana
With 2026 marking two decades since the show’s premiere (terrifying, we know), Cyrus opened up about her feelings about the anniversary during an interview with Sirius XM.
“It’s crazy to think that I started as a character that I thought was going to be impossible to shed, but now that’s something that when I walk into a space, it’s looked at as this sense of kind of, like, nostalgia or something that you have from your childhood,” Cyrus said. “I’ve now been integrated into everyone’s life as the character itself.”
🚨| Miley Cyrus confirms a Hannah Montana project for 20th anniversary!!
🚨| Miley Cyrus confirms a Hannah Montana project for 20th anniversary!! pic.twitter.com/FmkyM1EwVk
— Miley Cyrus Updates (@MileyCyrusBz) July 22, 2025
Most importantly, Cyrus confirmed that she has big Hannah plans for the 20th anniversary.
“I want to design something really, really special for it,” Cyrus said, “because it really was the beginning of all of this.”
While the specific details of this project are unclear, fans have floated the idea of everything from re-recordings or live performances of Hannah Montana hits such as “The Best of Both Worlds,” “Rockstar,” or “Just Like You” à la Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour to a possible reboot of the show.
Earlier this year, Cyrus confirmed that she is now once again able to perform Hannah Montana songs live – a right she seemingly lost after the show’s finale – since becoming a Disney Legend, meaning Hannah’s music could very much play a role.
Personally, we think the former sounds more likely, especially considering how other former stars of the Disney Channel show have denied the possibility of a reunion or publicity or called out Cyrus for claiming that they did drugs on the set.
Whatever it is, we’re officially seated and ready for Hannah Montana’s grand return.
Would you like to see Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana again?