Fame vs. Fiction: Looking Back at Miley Cyrus as 'Hannah Montana' Finale Nears

By Zach Dionne Posted Jan 15th 2011 11:15PM

'Hannah Montana' concludes its five-year Disney Channel run this Sunday, Jan. 16, and boy, hasn't Miley Cyrus grown up? On TV she's spent the last half-decade portraying Miley Stewart, alter ego to fictional pop star Hannah Montana. In real-life -- and the tabloids -- she's gone from bubblegum pop star to a chart-topping performer and borderline sex symbol.

As the 'Hannah Montana' finale closes in, we track the show's plotline versus Miley's real-life lows and, er, highs.

March 2006
In the news: The day before 'Hannah Montana' premieres, Miley's father, Billy Ray Cyrus, tells USA Today: "I think she takes and borrows and hints at a little bit of a lot of people. ... But she's her own person. ... She's in this thing deep now. She's in the water, and she's got to sink or swim."
On TV: In the show's pilot, Miley Stewart begins coping with her dual identity as kid and secret superstar.

April 2006
In the news: Cyrus records a cover of 'Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,' her first song credit under her own name. A month prior, her first single, 'Hannah Montana' theme 'The Best of Both Worlds,' was credited to her TV character.
On TV: Queen Elizabeth pays Miley a visit.

June 2006
In the news: Under the radar, Miley begins dating fellow Disney teen Nick Jonas. She'll later tell Seventeen magazine, "We became boyfriend and girlfriend the day we met."
On TV: Miley eschews a trip to the mall for a trip to the beach, where "cute boys" are a priority.

October 2006
In the news: Miley, performing as Hannah Montana, goes on tour. Disney releases 'Hannah Montana,' the first soundtrack to the show. It peaks at No. 1 on the Billboard Charts.
On TV: Country star Dolly Parton plays Miley's godmother.

June 2007
In the news: Midway into season two of 'Hannah Montana' and hot off signing a four-record deal with Disney's Hollywood Records, Cyrus releases 'Hannah Montana 2 / Meet Miley Cyrus,' a double album featuring the debut disc under her own name. Miley tops the Billboard charts again; the release goes triple platinum.
On TV: Hannah Montana performs for the president of the United States.

October 2007
In the news: Miley embarks on the Best of Both Worlds Tour, performing both as herself and Hannah Montana. MTV finds tickets being scalped as high as $2,500, with the average ticket resale value at $214 -- more expensive than tix for Beyonce or Justin Timberlake.
On TV: Miley's ascent into the big leagues of entertainment isn't so smooth as real life; she struggles to court fictional movie star Jake Ryan.

December 2007
In the news: Miley's first sexy photo scandal breaks, surrounding a Myspace pic of herself and a gal pal sexily sharing a piece of licorice. She'll later reflect in Vanity Fair: "That's two girls -- it's not a big deal. ... I was just like, it didn't affect me. Everyone's like, 'Maybe she'll learn her lesson this time.' Nope." She and Nick Jonas break up after nearly two years together; Miley will later tell Seventeen mag, "At first I bawled for a month straight."
On TV: Hannah Montana wins an International Music Award.

March 2008
In the news: A concert film of Miley's Best of Both Worlds Tour remains in theaters a month after its proposed single-week release, steamrolling its way to an eventual $29 million box office total.
On TV: Miley Stewart's Uncle Earl, played by funnyman David Koechner, comes to his niece for advice on how to be a rock star.

April 2008
In the news: Miley joins the TIME 100 as one of the magazine's most influential people. Former child star Donny Osmond writes, "Miley Cyrus, 15, is riding a huge tidal wave at the pinnacle of her career; this is as it should be. I hope she enjoys it. I guarantee there will be many bumps in the road ahead." Osmond worries about Cyrus' image becoming "cryogenically frozen into a specific stereotype."

On TV: 'Hannah Montana' is in the middle of a two-month hiatus. Formerly weekly episodes have become sporadic in the latter part of season two.

May 2008
In the news: Racy shots of a topless, towel-wrapped Miley appear in Vanity Fair. Cyrus says, "I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed." Meanwhile, the LA Times estimates the lucky paparazzo to snag a shot of Miley's first kiss will earn between $30,000 and $150,000.
On TV: Miley is struck by lightning, goes back in time and must foster romance between her fighting parents -- in the past.

July 2008
In the news: Miley releases her sophomore album, 'Breakout.' "It's grown up. I wrote all the songs except two," a 15-year-old Cyrus tells Reuters. "Songwriting is what I really want to do with my life forever. I just hope this record showcases that, more than anything, I'm a writer."
On TV: Miley Stewart forgets her father's birthday; Hannah Montana experiences a rite of showbiz passage as her diamond appears on the Hollywood Parade of Stars (the 'Hannah Montana'-verse's answer to a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame).

September 2008
In the news: Miley begins dating underwear model Justin Gaston; he's a scandalous five years her senior.
On TV: Miley's friend Oliver dates her nemesis Joannie.

November 2008
In the news: Miley celebrates her sweet 16 at Disneyland, with $250 tickets benefiting a charity fundraiser for Youth Service America. She tells reporters she received a puppy and that "my parents shut down Disneyland for me, so I'm good for a while."
On TV: Season three of 'Hannah Montana' debuts. Miley Stewart fails her driver's test, returns to receive her license as Hannah Montana and gets busted by the cops.

June 2009
In the news: Miley breaks up with 20-year-old Justin Gaston. A source tells E! Online both are "really heartbroken."
On TV: An old friend of Miley's is engaged to her Hollywood ex, Jake.

August 2009
In the news: Miley is spotted smooching 'The Last Song' co-star Liam Hemsworth. She'll later call him her "first serious boyfriend." Miley pole-dances at the Teen Choice Awards, prompting E! Online to report on "Slutty Cyrus Vs. Wholesome Hannah."
On TV: Media hounds score a private secret of Hannah's.

October 2009
In the news: Miley quits Twitter and raps about it, saying, "I want my private life private."
On TV: Hannah plays judge in a TV talent show featuring her BFF Oliver.

December 2009
In the news: Touring for EP 'The Time of Our Lives,' Cyrus gets a tattoo on her ribs and performs for Queen Elizabeth II.
On TV: We'll let IMDb take it from here: "Miley is trying to audition for the starring role of a cartoon duck."

March 2010
In the news: Miley stars in her first non-'Hannah Montana' film, 'The Last Song,' written by 'The Notebook' author Nicholas Sparks.
On TV: In the tail end of season three, Miley pines for her old, simple life in Tennessee.

May 2010
In the news: 'Can't Be Tamed,' the lead single from Miley's third album, is released. PopEater dubs the steamy music video "Miley's adult coming-out." Days later, TMZ releases a clip of Miley dirty dancing with 44-year-old 'Last Song' producer Adam Shankman.
On TV: 'Hannah Montana' has conspicuously not begun its fourth season.

June 2010
In the news: In a scandal-stacked month for Miley, she mimics a kiss with a female dancer onstage, tattoos 'LOVE' inside her ear, and is inadvertently caught in the middle of a deplorable, downright creepy photo scandal involving blogger Perez Hilton.
On TV: Still no new 'Hannah Montana' episodes, but ABC airs an hour-long special centered around a Miley concert at London's storied O2 Arena.

August 2010
In the news: Miley and Liam split. The 17-year-old starlet's continually sexified image proves to be an expert business plan.
On TV: Early into the final and fourth season, dubbed 'Hannah Montana Forever,' Hannah performs with Sheryl Crow and is cheated on by boyfriend Jake.

October 2010
In the news: A month before turning 18, Miley's 'Who Owns My Heart' video stirs up more of an uproar than 'Can't Be Tamed.'
On TV: Hannah's newest tune takes a creative turn from her usual fare, upsetting her label.

November 2010
In the news: Another busy, rough month for Miley -- parents Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus announce their impending divorce, Miley takes heat for wearing a see-through dress in a live performance and tabloids speculate that not-quite-old-enough-yet Miley may have been drinking in Europe. On the bright side, she turns 18 and has an awesome party.
On TV: Miley gets dumped when her famous identity messes with her man's day-to-day. Miley and BFF Lilly apply to college; Lilly gets in, Miley doesn't.

December 2010
In the news: Easily the biggest, most widely reported Miley scandal yet, leaked video shows Cyrus smoking salvia from a bong and hallucinating. Father Billy Ray admits, "There is much beyond my control right now."
On TV: Miley explains her 'Hannah Montana' double life to the media.

PopEater surveyed Miley's reputation as the bong video hit:

January 2010
In the news: A hacker charged with distributing racy pictures of Miley is arrested in Nashville. The bong Cyrus smoked out of goes up for sale.
On TV: In finale 'Kiss It All Goodbye,' Miley deals with the "biggest decision ever" -- go to college with her BFF or make a movie? Tune in Sunday, Jan. 16, on Disney Channel, and see a preview here:

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Tags: Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus

Comments

(90)

Saturday 15 January

By Sangw

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Damn! Miley is growing so fast.All that she need is to learn from the mistakes that she done in past. And People who r criticising her should understand that Nobody's perfect!!

Monday 17 January

By Caitlin Dalton

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I know! I agree with (except for the D word) it's her song. Nobody's Perfect.

Tuesday 18 January

By Stacee

That is not "growing up." That's called being immature and stupid.

By loveyouhotmiley

I'm going to miss my beautiful Miley as Hannah Montana.

By Chris

Popeater, you got the title of the Hannah Montana finale wrong. "Kiss it All Goodbye" aired in December 2010. The finale is titled "Wherever I Go". Just curious: do you guys have copy editors? You seriously need to do an upgrade on your fact checking. It's always the little things that make a difference.

By jeanni

thanks- i thought i had seen that episode- will be watching for correct title now- i discovered HM while up with a sick child at 3 in the morning that first season- have seen many episodes but (at 40) not exactly your typical HM fan- would like to see finale tho!

By Julie

My daughter is one of millions of girls that have grown up as a fan of Miley's - it will stop with Hannah Montana because she seems to think that she can only be popular now by being racy and sexy in all of her music. It is really sad that she didn't have enough confidence to continue as an artist on her own merit. Now she wants to switch her audience to young men?? Staying the course has certainly worked for the Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift (top selling artist of all for 2010). It is too bad that someone with such promise has taken a path that I believe will put an end to what could have been a continuation of a much better career. Shame on mom and dad - didn't you all learn from the likes of Lindsey Lohan and others? These kids need your guidance from others who only want to exploit them - being their buddy and enjoying their money train gives you results like this. Doing the right thing may be harder sometimes, but has more rewards in the long term. Our support and money may have gotten you where you are - but we won't contribute to where you are going now.

By Chanel

Maybe you and many other parents should have found your kids and actual role model like Martin Luther King or someone instead of an actore. The lives they portray arent real and they're human like the rest of us. So why would you make them a role model knowing something could go wrong down the line?

By Kaytlyn

I agree with you....Miley has turned into any other pop-singer out there (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Katy Perry, etc). Debuting from Disney Channel and seeing the mistakes of past Disney stars should have let her make her own course instead of blending in with all the other sex-eliciting pop-stars.

Sunday 16 January

By Rachel

Here here, Julie, I agree with you wholeheartedly. What has happened to this young girl all lays with the upbringing of her parents. I mean, who was the adult? Lay down the right path and lead by example. Look at Lindsay Lohan and her parents, now there was a train wreck! I believe with both young ladies that with the parents- more so in Lohan's case- the money enticed them in there raising their children. Here are two prime examples of the young who have been given all that their money can buy and there has been no rules to abide by. The world has been layed at their feet. Let us hope that lessons have been learned and she will grow to be a better example to those young girls who adore and worship her.

By DUDE

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YUM YUM

By yeppers

She is 18

By Ray

Please dont be thenext Britney, you have real talent!

By x3hawtangel

She's a HORRIBLE role model.. Disney should have given her the boot.. Walt Disney is probably STILL rolling over in his grave.. She's so selfish she doesn't see how horrible of an example she set for millions of young girls.. WHAT kind of person does this stupid stuff and doesn't give a SECOND THOUGHT to the FANS that got her there??? I said it before, and I'll say it again : she's headed down a destructive path, and when she hits that final wall.. that's it..

By BARN TROUBLE

Wow, people. Normal 18 year olds do all of these "scandalous" things already, if not worse. Miley is much more modest than she really could be. Has anybody on here ever been to a real high school these days? Much, much worse, and no one seems to notice or care. Why do we constantly pick on Miley?

By angel

thx poor girl jus cause she was a "disney" kid means she cant grow up!! well guess what mommy ur lil girl will grow up also!!!

By Laree

Maybe so, but normal 18-year olds aren't "role models" to little girls all over the country. We pick on Miley when it's our children who are subjected to this kind of crap from a girl who we thought might actually be someone good to admire and look up to. Boy, did we bet on the wrong horse...

By GuineaLover

Ok, normal 18 year olds dont do all this crazy stuff she is doing and if i had a little girl i would NOT want this freak to be her role model. Where have all the good, wholesome musicians gone???

By JUDGE WILLIAMSON

Well...I saw both of those controversial videos. I will definately say this, she is definately showing the world that she is not a child anymore. She is 18 now. She is going to do whatever she wants to do just like everyone else. Hopefully she makes wise dicisions but it is really on her.

By Mick

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Trailer trash!

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