Miley Cyrus Snagged in Divorce Tug-a-War
Summary
Miley Cyrus is getting pushed and pulled in the tug-a-war of her parents’ high profile divorce. Like her character on Hannah Montana, many children and adults can identify.
“What do you say we put up this tent, and make a fire, and cook ourselves up a big-pot-of friendship?”
by Carson Abrir
Few children see their parents’ divorce tweeted, blogged, and analyzed to the extent of pop sensation Miley Cyrus, who turns 18 this month.
Then again, very few children contribute to a $150 million family estate as much as Miley Cyrus has since declaring at the age of nine that she wanted to become an actress. Miley’s meteoric rise to stardom with the success of Hannah Montana propelled her to teen idol status, brought Disney their largest audiences ever, and family fortune comparable to her world famous godmother, Dolly Parton.
Like the challenges Hannah Montana regularly faces in the hit TV series, many youngsters and adults identify with the tug-a-war for Miley to side with dad, Billy Ray, or mom, Tish, as the couple publicly battle out their increasingly nasty divorce.
When couples choose to end their commitment to each other, too often innocent children become hijacked victims of emotional turmoil, anguish, betrayal, and retribution of parents who become bitter, guilt-ridden, or eager to gain financial benefit regardless of the price loved ones pay for their behaviors.
It takes strong character, love and respect for children for parents in the midst of a break-up and afterward to keep themselves from trying to poison their kids against another parent.
When children do take sides, long after a gloating parent may glory in the support they’ve won, the children are likely to continue paying the price in broken relationships and the lasting impact on their own self-worth.
As Miley famously said in her portrayal of Miley Stewart on Hannah Montana, “What do you say we put up this tent, and make a fire, and cook ourselves up a big-pot-of friendship,” may be better advice for parents tempted to involve children in their breakup then any thoughts of dragging them into a brawl.
Billy Ray Cyrus sold more than 33 million albums, twice the number Miley Cyrus has sold. Billy Ray has had 8 top ten hits and 15 top 40 hits and he’s been touring and acting in movies and TV for the better part of the last two decades. There is no doubt at all that Billy Ray’s $150 million fortune was self-made. In fact, Miley Cyrus has a fortune of her own quite separate from her father’s, estimated to be worth $60-70 million, which is handled by professional financial managers, not by Billy Ray or his wife. The only part of the the $150 million Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus will be fighting over that is a result of Miley’s career is the few million Tish has earned as Miley’s co-manager and producer of three of Miley’s movies. And I’m pretty sure Tish earned every penny of that money. Most who know the couple attribute both Tish’s and Billy Ray’s workaholism for the breakup. There has been this urban myth in the mass (trash) media that Billy Ray and Tish have been living off Miley’s money for years and it should be obvious to any honest person who looks at the facts that it is not true.
Miley doesn’t have to have anything to do with the Cyrus divorce. She’s going to be 18 soon. She can take her millions and leave her parents to fight over what is legally theirs.