Miley Cyrus is officially the youngest star to become a Disney Legend, and she’s using the opportunity to take a walk down memory lane, remembering her early days at Dinsey and poking fun at some of her past headlines.
On August 11, Cyrus was officially inducted as a Disney Legend, an honor reserved for those who have made a significant impact on the company. The ceremony was held at the Honda Centre in Anaheim, California, during the annual D23 fan convention.
Cyrus, who rose to fame with Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, playing the titular role of Hannah Montana/Miley Stewart since 2006, was among the many honorees of the night, which also included Colleen Atwood, Angela Bassett, Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, Mark Henn, Frank Oz, Kelly Ripa, Joe Rohde, and John Williams.
Cyrus’s Disney Legend induction featured a tribute video featuring commentary from John Travolta, Bret Michaels, and Chappell Roan. When it came time for her to take the stage to collect her award, Cyrus was welcomed on stage by country singer Lainey Wilson, who covered “Best of Both Worlds,” which served as the theme song for Hannah Montana and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Once on stage, Cyrus delivered an emotional speech reminiscing about her five years as Hannah. (Hannah Montana aired from 2006 to 2011 on the Dinsey Channel. Cyrus also starred in the 2009 spinoff movie Hannah Montana: The Movie and headlined the Best of Both Worlds tour in 2011 as part of the project.)
“In 2005, Disney was on a mission to rebuild and reimagine the company — that’s why they hired Bob Iger and me,” Cyrus joked before recounting how she became Hannah. Cyrus added that after shooting the pilot, she “had gotten a taste of what my life could be” and “did not want anything else.”
She also recounted how she performed her first-ever show at a mall in Glendale to record scenes for the show despite not a soul knowing who she was. “I was a little girl in a blonde wig at the mall with a big dream, but in my heart, I was Hannah Montana, and I was so proud to be,” Cyrus recalled.
She continued, “A little bit of everything has changed since that day, but at the same time, nothing has changed at all. I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana because she made Miley in so many ways. This award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans and to everyone who has made my dream a reality. To quote the legend herself, this is the life.”
Bob Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, also praised Cyrus in a press release before the ceremony. “To be named a Disney Legend is the highest honor our company can bestow on anyone, reserved for those whose talent and achievement have earned them an enduring place in our history,” he said. “The fourteen individuals to be honored as Disney Legends this year have each made extraordinary creative contributions across the worlds of Disney.”
In her speech, Cyrus also took the chance to poke fun at a couple of mainstay pop culture moments, firstly the longstanding rumor that Disney kids are all created in the company’s Burbank offices and, secondly, her infamous Bangerz era. “I definitely wasn’t created in a lab, and 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. Sorry, Mickey!” the star quipped.
Cyrus’s Hannah Montana chapter might not be over yet. In 2020, the star admitted she was open to reprising the role during a Carolina With Greg T In The Morning appearance. “You know what, honestly, I try to put that wig on all the time,” Cyrus said at the time. She’s just in storage collecting dust, and I’m ready to whip her out. The opportunity will present itself. “I definitely would like to resurrect her at some point.”
If you want to relive Miley Cyrus’s Disney Legend speech in full (and HD), the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony will stream on Disney+ starting from 5 p.m. EST on Monday, August 12.
