Over the decades, the Cyrus family has distinguished themselves as a recognizable and renowned staple family in the media. The family’s fame derives from country singer Billy Ray Cyrus’ hit song “Achy Breaky Heart.” As the singer grew his family, his fame was reignited following the release of his shared Disney teen sitcom Hannah Montana with his now equally, if not arguably more, famous daughter Miley Cyrus. However, the foundation of the family appears to be weaker than most realized because on April 6, Tish Cyrus filed for divorce from her husband, Billy Ray Cyrus. The news first broke in an article with TMZ. Tish cited “irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split and claimed that the two had not lived together since February 2020.”
A joint statement issued by the couple via a family representative exclusively to People states, “It is after 30 years, five amazing children and a lifetime of memories, we have decided to go our separate ways — not with sadness, but with love in our hearts.” They also said, “We have grown up together, raised a family we can be so proud of, and it is now time to create our own paths.”
Tish and Billy Ray first met back in 1991, the same year as his divorce from his previous wife Cindy Smith and one year prior to the release of his hit song “Achy Breaky Heart.” The couple eventually tied the knot in 1993. The two went on to have a mixed blend of five children together, three of which they had together biologically: Miley Cyrus (29), Braison Cyrus (27) and Noah Cyrus (22). Billy Ray, however, went on to adopt Tish’s children, Brandi (34) and Trace (33), from her previous marriage. While often not included in the mix, Billy Ray also has a sixth usually forgotten son, Christopher Cody (30), whom he conceived with ex-girlfriend Kristin Luckey, only to impregnate Tish with Miley mere months after the breakup.
While the split may come as a shock to many, it isn’t all too surprising. This is not the first time the pair have filed for divorce—in fact, it’s the third. In October 2010, Billy Ray filed for divorce before he subsequently dropped the case only six months later. Then, in 2013 Tish filed. A rep for the couple told ET at the time, “This is a personal matter, and we are doing what is in the best interest of our family. We ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
However, a month later, the couple spoke out to the media about working on their relationship through couples therapy. In 2017, the divorce was canceled due to inactivity in the courts. Since then, they seemed to be going strong, but fans noticed that Billy wasn’t around the family for the holidays in photos and videos posted by Miley. Rumors spread as fans began to wonder if there were issues within Tish and Billy Ray’s marriage. The couple’s last joint red-carpet appearance together was at the 2019 Grammys.
Tish said in a statement to People, “We will always be family and look forward to a continued and loving shared experience as friends and parents. We have not come to this decision lightly or quickly but with so much going on in the world, we wanted to provide some clarity and closure, so we can remain focused on what is important.”
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