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‘Hannah Montana’ Special: Miley Cyrus debuts new song, confirms Disney romance and reunites with Selena Gomez

Miley Cyrus revisits her ‘Hannah Montana’ era with surprises, candid confessions, and unexpected moments.

Two decades later, and somehow the wig still fits, the songs still stick in your head, and that double-life fantasy refuses to clock out. The ‘Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special’, now streaming on Disney+, is not just a throwback stitched together for easy nostalgia points. It feels more like a reunion party that got a little out of hand in the best way possible, with Miley Cyrus leading the charge.

Miley Cyrus performs a new track for the anniversary

Let’s start with the obvious visual cue. Cyrus was in full Hannah mode, bringing the blonde hair back. She steps into the special with confidence, opening with ‘The Best of Both Worlds’, the track that basically became the identity of ‘Hannah Montana’ when it first aired in 2006. She then rolled into a string of songs that longtime viewers probably did not expect to hear live again, including ‘This Is the Life’ and ‘The Climb’. However, what really caught everyone off guard was when Cyrus performed ‘Younger You,’ a new track written specifically for this anniversary.

Surprise guests and a familiar rivalry

One of the more unexpected appearances comes from Chappell Roan, who pops up in a way that feels both random and perfectly on-brand for someone who has openly admired Cyrus for years. She even shares a moment inside the iconic closet set and talks about growing up watching the show. She gushed, “I’m so grateful that I get to be a part of this. I mean, I grew up watching Hannah at my grandparents’ house and it just means so much.”

Then comes the return of Selena Gomez, stepping back into the shoes of Mikayla. She’s the sharp-tongued pop rival who once traded some pretty savage lines with Hannah. The two revisit those scenes, laughing at how intense the insults were, with Gomez pointing out, “It’s pretty mean! I don’t think they would get away with saying half of that stuff.” Meanwhile, Cyrus brushes it off with a grin, suggesting, “We can make amends now.” And they do. In a brief behind-the-scenes moment, the two Disney stars are seen hugging as they head off the set together.

Miley gets candid about old crushes and Disney-era romance

Cyrus does not hold back when the conversation drifts toward her Disney Channel days, casually naming Mitchel Musso as someone she found “really cute” back then. She also confirms long-standing rumors about dating Dylan Sprouse, saying, “Dylan was my boyfriend. He was the cutest. Maybe there was a rumor, but it’s true, confirmed.” Furthermore, she admitted she had a crush on Zac Efron, like pretty much everyone else at the time. And when asked to choose between fictional love interests Jake and Jesse, she quickly picks Jake. Cyrus explained, “You know what, he’s always out there saying really nice things about me in the press and… Jesse, I haven’t heard a peep.”

Family ties take center stage

While not every original cast member could make it to the special, Cyrus’ real-life family shows up in full support, including Billy Ray Cyrus, Tish Cyrus, and Noah Cyrus. There’s something oddly comforting about seeing them back in that familiar setting, especially Billy Ray, who played her on-screen dad for years. He slipped right back into that role like no time had passed at all. They even revisit a scene together and go through their old handshake, which somehow still lands, like muscle memory kicking in.