Miley Cyrus Reflects on How Her Fame Affected Her Family: “I Felt So Ashamed”
Miley Cyrus has been an influential figure in the entertainment world for over a decade, but the rise to fame in 2013 was not without its challenges—especially for her family. In an exclusive interview for the Wondery podcast Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky, Cyrus opens up about how her controversial “Bangerz” era affected her siblings and relationships.
The year 2013 was a transformative one for Miley, as she released her album Bangerz, which featured hits like “Wrecking Ball” and the infamous music video where she swings naked on a wrecking ball, licking it. Her performance with Robin Thicke at the MTV VMAs that year, which included a provocative twerking routine, made headlines and drew significant public backlash.
In the podcast, Cyrus shares that while the attention catapulted her to global fame, it also came with unintended consequences for her personal life and family dynamics. “That’s when I got hit really hard and I felt so ashamed,” Cyrus admits. “There were times when my brother and sister didn’t want to go to school because they felt embarrassed about being related to me.”
Cyrus, who has five siblings—Brandi, Trace, Christopher, Braison, and Noah—explains how the public scrutiny during this era affected her family deeply. She recalls a moment when her brother said, “I’m not judging you, but you can understand how hard it is for me to go to school, and you’re my sister.” The singer, who prides herself on being a tough older sister, admitted that it was a difficult time for both her and her siblings.
Despite the immense success and fame that Bangerz brought, Cyrus reveals the toll it took on her personal life. She felt like she was losing everything, including important relationships. “I lost everything during that time in my personal life because of my career choices,” she explains. “If I continued dressing or acting a certain way, my relationships would fall apart. No one wanted to date me because they didn’t want to be with a woman whose sexual side wasn’t for them. It was like sharing it with the world.”
Her struggle with dating and relationships was further complicated by the public nature of her actions. “Guys, when I tried to date, when I was dating, or when I was engaged to someone at that time, it never worked out because I shared a part of myself that men wanted to keep to themselves,” she reflects.
On top of the challenges in her romantic life, Cyrus also found it difficult to face her family, particularly her father. “It was hard to go home and look my dad in the eye without feeling incredibly ashamed,” she admits.
The candid conversation on Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky provides a vulnerable and honest look at the pressures Miley Cyrus faced during her rise to fame, the toll it took on her personal relationships, and how she eventually came to terms with her public persona.