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Miley Cyrus calls Alex Cooper ‘creepy’ during ‘Hannah Montana’ event for one awkward reason: ‘She’s also my...’

Miley Cyrus brings humor and surprise to the ‘Hannah Montana’ anniversary event, with candid moments and playful jabs.

During the premiere night of the ‘Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special’ at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood, the singer found herself casually roasting the evening’s host, Alex Cooper, and the crowd absolutely ate it up. It was not mean-spirited, not really, more like playful jabs tossed in front of fans. “Alex being a superfan, kinda creepy, she’s also my neighbor, which is also creepy,” Cyrus began in a clip that quickly made the rounds online. “She got money, and then she moved next door to me, so there was no other host.” The audience laughed, and Cyrus, clearly enjoying herself, kept going. “Yeah, it was weird. She’s like, ‘Oh my god, you live here?’ She interviewed me at my house five years ago, you know damn well where I live!”

Still, she did not leave things hanging in awkward territory. Moments later, she switched gears and gave Cooper her due credit, thanking her for hosting and calling her “so insanely dedicated to ‘Hannah Montana.’” The event itself marked a big moment for fans of ‘Hannah Montana’, a show that defined an era for a generation that grew up juggling school and secretly wishing they had a double life like a certain pop star with a wig. The anniversary special, officially announced earlier this year on February 17, has been building quiet anticipation ever since. In a conversation with Variety published on March 18, Cyrus spoke more thoughtfully about the project, and this time, the tone was a bit more reflective. “She understands Hannah in a way that I couldn’t,” Cyrus said about Cooper. “I never got to experience Hannah being crazy in the pit with other kids.”

That comment says a lot, actually, because while Cyrus was ‘Hannah Montana’ for years, she lived the role from the inside out, not as a fan watching from the outside, screaming lyrics in a crowd. Cooper, on the other hand, brings that fan energy, and that perspective seems to have shaped parts of the special in ways Cyrus had not initially considered. For instance, Cooper played a role in organizing elements of the set and music, but she also helped bring in unexpected touches, including a cameo from Selena Gomez. “I love Selena, but I didn’t know how much our friendship meant to the fans,” Cyrus admitted.

Another detail that came from Cooper’s input involved how the special begins, with Cyrus driving from her Malibu home to the Hollywood soundstage. “I didn’t think about the correlation between Hannah’s house in Malibu and my house in Malibu, and my house burning down and me rebuilding,” she told Variety. Meanwhile, a couple of familiar names were missing from the live event. Emily Osment and Mitchel Musso, both key parts of the original series, couldn’t attend the premiere. However, they made sure to share their love for the show online, posting messages about their time on set and what the experience meant to them. Meanwhile, the anniversary special is now available to stream on Disney+.