In a rare and raw reflection, Miley Cyrus is finally confronting the emotional cost of the most provocative chapter in her career — the Bangerz era. Appearing on Monica Lewinsky’s Wondery podcast Reclaiming, the 32-year-old superstar peeled back the glitter and rebellion of that time to reveal what it truly cost her: love, trust, and the fabric of her closest relationships.
“I lost everything during that time in my personal life because of the choices I was making professionally,” Cyrus said
Candidly addressing how her overtly sexual image, once the hallmark of her breakout as a pop provocateur, led to deep fractures in her personal world.
It was a decade ago that the former Disney star shed her Hannah Montana persona in favor of something brazenly adult — a move that defined headlines and divided audiences. But behind the tongue-wagging and latex-clad performances was a young woman reckoning with public rejection and private heartbreak.
“If I kept dressing or acting a certain way, my relationships fell apart,” she revealed. “No one wanted to date me because they didn’t want to be with a woman whose sexual expression was shared with the world”
That emotional fallout extended beyond romantic relationships. Cyrus shared how her siblings bore the brunt of public scrutiny, even avoiding school due to the media circus around her image. “There was even a time where my brother and sister didn’t want to go to school because of how humiliated they were to be related to me,” she confessed, recounting a particularly painful conversation with her brother.
“I don’t judge you, but you could understand how hard it is for me to go to school, and you be my sister”
One of the most poignant revelations centered on her relationship with her father, country music icon Billy Ray Cyrus. Returning home was no longer a place of refuge. “It was difficult to go home and see my dad and look him in the eyes and not feel super embarrassed,” she admitted. The guilt, the shame, the emotional weight — it all left scars she is only now beginning to process.
These experiences are echoed in a new song titled Secrets, an unreleased track that stems from those moments of family strain and personal regret. While fans await its official debut, Cyrus’s most recent album Something Beautiful offers a more reflective tone — a far cry from the chaos of her Bangerz persona. The album, released last month, was followed by an immersive visual film premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, further signaling a new artistic chapter grounded in emotional authenticity.
For Miley Cyrus , this reckoning isn’t just about regret — it’s about reclaiming the narrative she once lost to the tabloids. And in a full-circle moment, doing so alongside Monica Lewinsky — someone who also lived through a media storm — feels not only fitting but long overdue.
