Miley Cyrus Tears Up While Reflecting on ‘Hannah Montana’ Days During Disney Legends Speech

Miley Cyrus attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena
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Nearly 20 years after ‘Hannah Montana’ aired, Miley was finally recognized for her role at this year’s D23.

Miley Cyrus still has the best of both worlds. As one of the most recognizable faces to graduate from the Disney Channel, the 31-year-old Grammy Award winner was named a Disney Legend at 2024’s D23 fan convention in Anaheim, California, over the weekend. The recognition marked nearly 20 years after Hannah Montana first aired in 2006.

Upon taking the stage to accept the recognition, Miley grew emotional while thanking the Walt Disney Company and her fans.

“In 2005, Disney was on a mission to rebuild the company. That’s why they hired [Disney CEO] Bob Iger, and me,” the “Flowers” hitmaker cheekily said, while joking that many believed she and her fellow Disney Channel stars were created “in a lab” at Disney’s office in Burbank, California. “If I was, there must have been a bug in the system which caused me to malfunction somewhere between the years of 2013 and 2016,” she joked, seemingly referring to her transformation from her Disney days to her Bangerz album.

Throughout her speech, Miley reflected on her time playing Hannah Montana and encouraged her audience to remember that “there is no such thing as failure when you try.”

“I’m gonna let everybody get on a little Disney Legend secret — I’m the one that tells you what you’re not supposed to know,” the Last Song actress quipped. “And what I want to say, is that legends get scared, too. I’m scared right now, but the difference is we do it anyway, and all of you can do that every single day. It’s legendary to be afraid and do it anyway.”

In addition to Miley, other recognizable names were awarded their Disney Legends title as well. Actors Harrison Ford, Jamie Lee Curtis and Angela Bassett were crowned as legends, in addition to costume designer Colleen Atwood, Disney Parks cast member Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, Frank Oz, Kelly Ripa, comic artist Steve Ditko, animator Mark Henn, imagineer Joe Rohde and John Williams.

“I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana,” Miley said while fighting back tears. “This award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans, and to everyone who has made my dream a reality.” She then ended her speech by referring to one of her Disney Channel counterpart’s songs, saying, “To quote the legend herself, ‘This is the life.'”

After landing her role as Hannah Montana in 2005, Miley’s teen sitcom aired from 2006 to 2011. The character became one of the company’s most iconic creations. Even as her fans grew up and Miley’s sound and style shifted, the “Can’t Be Tamed” artist has expressed how thankful she is to have played the teen pop star. Not only that, but she has also performed “The Climb” from Hannah Montana: The Movie multiple times throughout her career.

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