Celebrities

What have the cast of Hannah Montana said about the 20th anniversary?

Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Can you believe it's the 20th anniversary of the beloved Disney Channel series Hannah Montana?

The show starring Miley Cyrus as the teenage girl living a double life (or we should say the best of words) - Miley Stewart in her daily life, but outside of going to class, she becomes pop sensation, Hannah Montana.

Over the four seasons (the final season titled Hannah Montana Forever), we saw the antics Miley/Hannah would get up to with her family, dad Robby Ray Stewart (Billy Ray Cyrus), and brother Jackson Stewart (Jason Earles) as they juggled keeping Hannah's true identity under wraps, as well as letting her best friends Lily Trusscott (Emily Osment) and Oliver Okin (Mitchel Musso) in on her big secret.


Of course, who can forget the big love triangle between Jake Ryan (Cody Linley) and Jesse (Drew Roy)?

All the while, Hannah provides some pop bangers from 'Best of Both Worlds', 'This Is The Life', 'Nobody's Perfect', 'Rock Star,' 'If We Were A Movie,' and more.

Now in 2026, Cyrus is back sporting the iconic blonde hair for the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special on Disney+ as she and the cast have been reflecting on their time on the show that became a pop culture pillar.


Miley Cyrus (Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana)

Miley Cyrus has been embracing the 20th Anniversary by appearing on the Disney+ special, where she walks onto recreated sets of the show, including the Stewarts' home, which has Hannah's cool rotating closet in her bedroom.

"Already getting emotional," the 33-year-old admitted, who has recorded a version of the Hannah Montana track 'This is the Life' and also performed the song along with 'The Climb' and 'The Best of Both Worlds' at the Hannah-versery recording.

On social media, she has also been posting old photos from her time on the show too.

She also gave an in-depth interview with Variety about the anniversary, where she said, "I didn’t want to do this modern approach to Hannah.

“I wanted to keep it preserved. But also, now Hannah wears Gucci,” Cyrus added, "She’s elevated. She’s gotta look a little less Galleria."

Emily Osment (Lily Truscott/Lola Luftnagle)

Emily Osment was notably absent from the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, and took to Instagram to explain why she couldn't be there in person, videoing from set on her TV series Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.

“We are at the Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage set, and that’s why I was not able to be a part of the 20-year reunion, because we are here shooting our show,” Osment said in the video, alongside her series co-star Montana Jordan.

“But I wanted to say hello and thank you to everybody that has stuck by us for all these years. I’m so grateful that you guys all still love the show. I’m so proud to be a part of it… We appreciate you. Lots of love.”

In the Instagram post caption she wrote, "Hannah Montana changed my life, it gave me a lifelong respect for this medium of comedy, it taught me discipline, patience, timing and respect working in an adult space so young. I’ve met thousands of HM fans over the years, fans that now have children watching this show and fans that literally work beside me every day, like Montana. He’s seen every episode, don’t be fooled.

She added, "I can’t tell you what your sweet messages mean to me and how lucky I feel to have been apart of this once in a generation goliath of a television show. Thank you for letting me into your living rooms and I hope to still be there many years from now. Would never be where I am without you guys, working on another beautiful show I love so dearly. With all my heart, THANK YOU! ♥️ Lilly


Mitchel Musso (Oliver Oken/Mike Standley III)


Mitchel Musso, who didn't appear in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, took to Instagram to share a series of snaps from his time on the show with co-stars Cyrus and Osment.

"Hannah Montana wrapped around my heart and never really let go. We literally grew up with ya’ll — long days, crazy schedules, learning lines, cracking up between takes, and figuring out life while the cameras rolled," Musso wrote in the Instagram post caption.

"It taught me so many wonderful values, but the most important “to me” is that laughter can get you through the tough days. That confidence still sticks with me every single day. To all of you who grew up right alongside us… your friends were our friends too. Like my Lillypop said on her post, so many of you building families of your own and sharing this wonderful story with your kids is a gift beyond words. It’s been the coolest part of HM"

He then had a message for his former castmates, "Miley, Emily, Jason, Billy Ray, Moises, and the whole crew at Disney — you became my family through all the real, messy, beautiful moments. Thank you for believing in a goofy kid from Texas who wore some questionable outfits with a haircut like that. To all of you, thank you for welcoming me into your homes and hearts 20 years ago and still allowing me to be here today. I’m honored we get to share all of this together."


Jason Earles (Jackson Stewart)

Jason Earles didn't feature in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, but did attend the premiere, where he reunited with Cyrus, his on-screen sister in the series.

The 48-year-old also hosts the Hannah Montana-themed podcast with writers and producers from the show, Shannon Flynn and Douglas Dange.


Billy Ray Cyrus (Robby Ray Stewart)

Billy Ray Cyrus appears in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, with both his on-screen and off-screen daughter Miley, and has been posting about the Disney+ special on Instagram.

Some things never change…20 years later and @mileycyrus still knows the old handshake trick," he wrote, sharing the teaser.


Moisés Arias (Rico Suave Jr.)

Moisés Arias attended the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special on Monday (March 23), sporting a purple top with the Hannah Montana logo, where he reunited with his former castmates.


Cody Linley (Jake Ryan)

Cody Linley also attended the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special and took to Instagram to reflect ahead of the reunion.

"I'm really excited to celebrate with the cast and crew this coming Monday and honoured for all the fans worldwide who supported me and the show," he said.

In the caption, Linley added, "It’s wild to think it’s been 20 years since Hannah Montana first aired…So grateful to be celebrating with the cast & crew this Monday, and even more grateful for all of YOU who’ve supported me over the years all around the world!
Jake Ryan will always have a special place in my heart."


Shanica Knowles (Amber Addison) and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (Ashley Dewitt)


Shanica Knowles and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle attended the premiere as well and shared a sweet video of them reuniting, the pair played mean girls Amber and Ashley in the series.

Elsewhere from Indy100, Miley Cyrus brands Alex Cooper 'creepy' as Hannah Montana Special drops on Disney, and First look: Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana for 20th anniversary special.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Conversation (0)