In the midst of the 2013 media storm, when television commentators and angry parents across America demanded boycotts against Miley Cyrus for shedding her childhood Disney image, one voice rose above the noise. Dolly Parton, the iconic country star and Miley’s godmother, stepped in front of reporters to defend the young woman she had known since birth.
Their remarkable bond began in 1992, after Billy Ray Cyrus broke through with ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ and toured alongside Parton. Growing close on the road, Billy Ray and his wife Tish asked Parton to be the honorary godmother to their newborn daughter, Destiny Hope Cyrus. From that moment, a lifelong connection was forged.
From 2006 to 2010, Parton brought that family tie onto the Disney Channel set, appearing repeatedly as ‘Aunt Dolly’ on Hannah Montana while her young goddaughter learned the television business. On those studio soundstages, Miley watched how Parton treated everyone on the crew with the same warmth and respect, speaking just as kindly to janitors, drivers, and backstage caterers as she did to network executives.
When Miley’s controversial 2013β2015 pop transformation drew fierce backlash from conservative critics, Parton refused to scold her in the press. Speaking to The Sun and ABC’s Nightline, Parton asked the public to back off and let the young woman make her own choices and grow past her child-star mold. Privately, avoiding standard smartphones in favor of sending long notes by fax machine, Parton reminded Miley that she had every right to steer her own art as long as she stayed kind to the people around her.
Watching Parton stay proud of her poor Sevier County roots while quietly funding projects like the Imagination Library gave Miley an anchor in Hollywood.
In 2014, Miley put those lessons to work by founding the Happy Hippie Foundation to support homeless youth and vulnerable communities. Whether sharing the microphone at the 2019 Grammys, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, or Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party, Parton still holds Miley’s hand onstage with the quiet pride of a godmother who never walked away when the crowd turned harsh.