Miley Cyrus confirms secret romance with Dylan Sprouse and reflects on ex Nick Jonas during 'Hannah Montana' 20th anniversary special
Miley Cyrus confirmed that she and Dylan Sprouse were a thing in the past, while also reflecting on her romance with Nick Jonas.
During the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special released on March 24, Miley and Alex Cooper talked about which of the Disney boys she had the biggest crush on. Although she had a crush on High School Musical star Zac Efron, Miley later revealed that she was dating Dylan at the time.
"I secretly... Okay, Dylan Sprouse was my boyfriend. I think he was the cutest," she said. When Alex asked if she really dated him, Miley said, "Yeah, that was my boyfriend."
"I think maybe it was rumored, but it's true. Confirmed!" she said.
Miley also briefly talked about how often she performed in shows with the Jonas Brothers because she was dating Nick at the time.
"Literally, the reason that the Jonas Brothers were on tour with me was because Nick was my boyfriend, and I wanted to not leave my boyfriend," she explained. "So I'd be like, 'Okay, well, I'll go on tour if my boyfriend can come.' And they're like, 'Cute, have your boyfriend open for the show.' Boom."
"I was always just like, 'Well, it'll be more fun if Nick is there,'" she added.
On being authentic
During the anniversary special, Miley also looked back on how being authentic got her the iconic role of Hannah Montana. At the time, she had yet to make her debut in the industry.
"What made me stand out, I think, with my audition was both my weakness and my strength: I had no previous experience in acting," she shared. That time, she was busy being a cheerleader at their school in Tennessee.
"I think I stood out because everything that I was doing was so authentic, just who I am," she said. "No one ever taught me to be that way."
She added how she embraced life in Los Angeles and never really felt homesick. "I got here in a mini skirt and flip flops and never looked back," she said.
While reminiscing about some of her memorable outfits and moments from the photo album, her mom, Tish, described the time when Miley filmed the series’ pilot episode at 11 as both “crazy” and “magical.”
The Climb singer later credited her mom for why she was—and remained—authentic, both as Miley and as Hannah.
"I love being Hannah, I love being Miley Cyrus, I love my personas, but what I'm most proud of is who I am as a person," she said.
"You've just really taught me to kind of be in the moment, be authentic to who you are," she told her mom. "You wanted Miley to express herself even if that meant losing all of this."
On her feud with dad, Billy Ray
Miley and her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, who also played her dad in the series, also reunited in a replica of the Stewart family's living room. They did their famous handshake before reminiscing about their time on the set.
"It was art imitating life...you were always Miley to me. It was one of the funnest things in my life being part of this show," Billy said.
Prior to their reunion, Miley talked about how excited she was to be with her on and off-screen dad.
"I'm really excited for him to be here, because I know how much our relationship means to everyone that watched this show," she told Alex. "I think when me and my dad are good, people, they feel better. It just feels good when the Cyruses are getting along."
In her interview with Variety, Miley shared how her dad made her feel safe during the height of her fame.
“My parents didn’t need me to be famous to survive or to be stable,” she said. “What happens to a lot of these kids is their parents want it more than they do, or the kids become responsible for the entire income of the family. That was never my job. Every penny I ever made went into my bank account because my parents were good.”
"My dad was on set every single day, so there was nothing that could happen that he wouldn’t know about,” she said. “There was never a time where I was going to be alone in that dressing room.”
Near the end of Hannah Montana, as Tish and Billy Ray’s marriage fell apart. Their rift became public during the divorce, which was finalized in 2022, and they didn’t speak for years. It was also that time when Miley became distant from her dad.
In 2025, Miley wrote him the song Secrets as a peace offering, featuring Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood, inspired by his favorite band, Fleetwood Mac, which made Billy cry.
“One great song can do more for the soul than a million therapy sessions," he wrote on Instagram.
