Miley Cyrus Reflects on Early Controversies and on Being the First Person “Ever” to Be Canceled

Miley Cyrus is revisiting the intense criticism that accompanied her transition from child star to provocative pop artist. In a preview for an extended conversation airing on CBS Sunday Morning on October 5, 2025, she addresses the backlash she encountered after leaving her Hannah Montana persona behind.

In the teaser, Cyrus suggests she was one of the earliest public figures to face organized cancel culture, and says she only fully grasped how harsh the response was later in life. She reflects candidly on what those years felt like for her personally and professionally.

Cyrus first became a household name with Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, which premiered in March 2006 and launched with roughly 5.4 million viewers — a record at the time. She was 13 when she began portraying Miley Stewart, a teenager juggling a normal adolescence and a secret pop-star life; the series ran through 2011.

After Hannah Montana, Cyrus deliberately reshaped her image, releasing edgier albums such as 2010’s Can’t Be Tamed and 2013’s Bangerz — the latter debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — and embracing a more confrontational public persona. Though the reinvention provoked fierce criticism from some quarters, Cyrus says she found the period creatively liberating.

She describes that era as both exhilarating and, in hindsight, painful: enjoyable at the time but something she later recognized caused genuine discomfort for those close to her. Cyrus admitted the experience left her with feelings of regret and empathy for anyone subjected to similar scrutiny.

The preview also indicates Cyrus will discuss her path to sobriety, family relationships, and her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, during the CBS Sunday Morning segment. That episode will include a separate interview with singer-songwriter Cat Stevens (Yusuf), who discusses his new memoir.

Fans and readers have pointed out that other female artists — from Madonna to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera — were subjected to brutal public backlash in earlier decades, sparking a broader conversation about how female performers are judged when they change their image or challenge expectations.

Cyrus has spoken on multiple occasions about the fallout from the Bangerz era and how intensely public reaction affected her and her family. In a previous interview earlier this year, she described the shame and embarrassment that at times made life difficult for her siblings and parents.

Below is the Instagram teaser shared by CBS Sunday Morning previewing the full interview.

Source