Emily Osment won’t return for the 'Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special' and the reason makes sense
While the spotlight is back on Miley Cyrus and her iconic character in the ‘Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special’, one familiar face won’t be making an appearance for the reunion. Emily Osment, who played Lilly Truscott, has confirmed she will not appear in the highly anticipated special, and before netizens jump to conclusions, she cleared the air in her own words. She shared a video on Instagram, filmed from the sets of her ongoing show, and explained the situation. Turns out, the reason is not about anything messy; it’s work.
Osment is currently busy filming ‘Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage,’ and the schedule just didn’t line up. In the clip, she even joked around with her co-star Montana Jordan, keeping things light as she said, “Did you know that tomorrow is the 20-year anniversary? That's how old I am.” Then she explained it clearly, “We're at the ‘Georgie & Mandy’ set, and that's why I was not able to be a part of the 20-year reunion,” before giving viewers a glimpse of the busy set around her. She added, “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 this show. I'm so proud to be a part of it."
Osment made sure her connection to the show didn’t feel distant. In the post’s 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.” She continued, “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. 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!” And then, she signed off as “Lilly.”
However, the anniversary special itself is still stacked, with Miley, her parents, Tish Cyrus, and Billy Ray Cyrus being part of the celebration. Selena Gomez is also set to appear. The special is hosted by Alex Cooper, known for the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast. As for other original cast members like Jason Earles and Mitchel Musso, their involvement hasn’t been confirmed publicly, leaving fans guessing. However, all the speculation is set to come to an end when ‘Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special’ premieres on March 24 on Disney+ and Hulu.
