The behind the scenes of Hannah Montana was way darker than we thought

It’s been 20 years since the iconic Disney Channel series Hannah Montana, so let’s look at the dark things happening behind the scenes we were too young to realise.

Hannah Montana made a lot of our childhoods. The series ran for four seasons, had over 100 episodes, and inspired spin-offs and movies. Although the cast seems to look back on the experience positively, it wasn’t always rosy on set.

Miley Cyrus’ mental health tanked during filming for Hannah Montana

At just 13 years old, Miley Cyrus made Disney history by being cast as the main character of Hannah Montana. Although she speaks fondly of the time, Miley has also admitted that it really negatively affected her mental health.

“The concept of the show is that when you’re this character, when you have this alter ego, you’re valuable. You’ve got millions of fans, you’re the biggest star in the world,” Miley said on the Rock This with Allison Hagendorf podcast. “Then the concept was that when I looked like myself, when I didn’t have the wig on anymore, no one cared about me. I wasn’t a star anymore.”

via Disney

She revealed how this character bled into her real life.

“That was drilled into my head [that], without being Hannah Montana, no one cares about you,” Miley continued. “That was the concept. I really had to break that, I had gone from being a character almost as often as I was myself.”

“I was made to look like someone that I wasn’t, which probably caused some body dysmorphia because I had been made pretty every day for so long, and then when I wasn’t on that show, it was like, Who the f*ck am I?”

Billy Ray Cyrus said it ‘ruined’ the family relationship

Sometimes, working with your family is a bad idea. Billy Ray Cyrus, who played Miley Stewart’s dad in Hannah Montana, definitely agrees. In a 2011 interview with GQ, just months after the show ended, Billy was already regretting taking any part in the Disney Channel show.

“It destroyed my family,” he said. At the time, Billy and Miley weren’t speaking, and their relationship is still tense.

Most Read

I made OnlyFans content with HSTikkyTokky, this is how gross he and his comments truly are

The heartbreaking final post MAFS’ Mel Schilling shared before her death was a tragic update

I hate to say it, but Bonnie Blue’s filthy response to HSTikkyTokky has changed my opinion of her

“I’ll tell you right now — the damn show destroyed my family. It’s all sad.”

via Disney

When asked directly if he regretted the series, Billy didn’t hesitate.

“I hate to say it, but yes, I do. Yeah. I’d take it back in a second. For my family to be here and just be everybody okay, safe and sound and happy and normal, would have been fantastic. Heck, yeah. I’d erase it all in a second if I could.”

Mitchel Musso got a DUI not long after filming wrapped, and has talked about addiction issues

Oliver was Lily and Miley’s third bestie, and in later seasons, Lily’s boyfriend. But behind the scenes, Mitchel Musso was allegedly living a very different life. According to Miley Cyrus, Mitchel Musso used to show up to the Hannah Montana set high – a claim that Mitchel has strongly denied.

via Disney

In October 2011, a 20-year-old Mitchel was caught drunk driving, and was subsequently dropped from two of his Disney projects, Pair of Kings and Prankstars. At the time, he said he was “stepping up and taking responsibility”.

“I appreciate the court allowing me to resolve my case in the manner it did today,” Mitchel said to E! News.

“In becoming an adult, I have learned first-hand that stepping up and taking responsibility is the best way to move forward. I am especially thankful to my family and fans for their unwavering support and encouragement. I am glad to now put this in the past.”

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured image via Disney