'She's Reevaluating Her Life': Why Miley Cyrus Has Cut Off Family Members & Gone MIA During Parents' Messy Divorce
Nov. 10 2022, Published 5:00 a.m. ET
On September 27, Miley Cyrus hit the stage at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles to pay tribute to her good friend, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who passed away at the age of 50 in March, to belt out out a rousing version of Photograph with Def Leppard.
"I miss Taylor so much," she wrote on Instagram the following day. "It was such an honor to celebrate him last night."
It was a rousing performance — and a surprise to fans, who haven't seen much of the 29-year-old star in recent months. According to sources, the Wrecking Ball singer was hit hard by Taylor's death and has also been reeling in the wake of her mom and dad's divorce, RadarOnline.com has learned.
As this outlet reported, Billy Ray Cyrus and his wife of nearly 30 years, Tish, split up in April and the Achy Breaky Heart singer, 61, is reportedly engaged to 20-something Australian songwriter Firerose.
"Miley's never been one to hide out from the world, but all these life-changing events have her reevaluating her life," one source said. "She's had a tough time emotionally, so after a lot of soul-searching, she made the choice to take a step back and recalibrate."
Miley's no stranger to personal drama. The former child star shot to fame as Hannah Montana on the popular Disney Channel show and went on to make headlines for everything from her controversial twerk-filled 2013 VMA appearance to her high-profile Hollywood romances. But the fame game finally got to her.
"Miley's been in the public eye her whole life and never got a chance to fly under the radar until recently," a second insider dished. "It's been enlightening and empowering."
According to the source, Miley's been spending most of her time hiding out at home and her inner circle has gotten much smaller. The singer — who's been dating Lilly drummer Maxx Morando, 23, since late January — has "weeded out all the hangers-on and bad influences."
She's also cut ties with family members, most notably her mom and dad. (Miley has five brothers and sisters: half-siblings Brandi, Trace, and Christopher. Her full siblings are Noah and Braison.)
Her heartbreak over her parents' divorce has sent her spiraling.
"She's still processing Billy Ray's relationship with Firerose, who is much younger than he is," one of the sources claimed. "She wants her dad to be happy but she's also protective of her mom. She feels caught in the middle and has basically distanced herself from the situation."
So much so, said the source, that she's stopped taking their calls. "A lot of the time Billy Ray and Tish don't even know where Miley is."
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Maxx has become a grounding force in her life, though the second insider claimed they are keeping things pretty casual.
"Miley and Maxx are very happy together, and she feels safe and centered with him. But he doesn't put pressure on her if they go a few days or even weeks without seeing each other — it's very much a go-with-the-flow situation and she's extremely open-minded about what the future holds for them," said the pal.
"They go to the beach together, listen to music, and hang out at her place. Miley insists she's fine. She's focused on her health and wellness and swears she's in a great place," they added.