Tish Cyrus files for divorce from Billy Ray after 28 years of marriage
Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus are divorcing after 28 years of marriage.
Tish — who serves as manager to the couple's daughter Miley Cyrus — cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split, according to documents filed in Tennessee and obtained by People magazine.
The 54-year-old, also the host of the Sorry We're Stoned podcast, stated in the filing that she hadn't lived with the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer, 60, for more than two years. She asked the court to equally distribute all marital assets. (Among their assets is quite a bit of cannabis as they are both well-known partakers.)
They released a joint statement to People:
"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. We have grown up together, raised a family we can be so proud of, and it is now time to create our own paths.
"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. With Love and Hope… Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus."
The couple met in 1991 — the year he was divorced from his first wife Cindy Smith — when he was a struggling country music singer living out of his car. In 1993, when he had already made it big, they secretly married. By then they had already had daughter Miley (born: Destiny Hope) and they later welcomed Braison and Noah. He also adopted Tish's two children, Brandi and Trace, from a previous relationship.
Billy Ray also had a son, Christopher Cody, months before Miley's birth with another woman and the child was raised out of the spotlight.
Billy Ray and Tish had many ups and downs during their marriage, and not just being catapulted to stardom, first with Billy Ray's music and then a second time when Miley became famous as a star of the Hannah Montana show.
In 2010, Billy Ray filed for divorce from Tish, also citing irreconcilable differences. However, they reconciled five months later. In June 2013, Tish filed for divorce. A month later they worked things out, crediting couples therapy for helping them work through their troubles.
In 2016, Billy Ray said, "Life is a series of adjustments, and you just try to do the best you can. Like if you are going to park your car in a parallel spot and you start backing up and you don't quite fit in, you have to back it up a little bit. But barring any unforeseen catastrophe if you make the right adjustments you will get in the spot."
The couple's last joint red carpet appearance was at the 2019 Grammys.