Yahoo Lifestyle Miley Cyrus Revealed That Her Mom Was Behind Her Controversial 2009 Teen Choice Awards Performance — And Called Her Out For Being “Nowhere To Be Found” When The Backlash Started
Back in 2009, people were scandalized when then-17-year-old Miley Cyrus took to the stage at the Teen Choice Awards and performed with what was referred to as a “stripper pole.”
At the time, Miley was mostly known for being a squeaky clean child star who’d shot to fame on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana, so when she clutched onto the pole while performing her hit song “Party In The U.S.A.,” it caused somewhat of a stir.
For reference, the performance started with Miley bursting out of a trailer to the cheers of the live audience. After the first chorus, she jumped on top of an ice cream cart — which is where the controversial pole was.
The star then danced while holding onto the pole as a backup dancer pushed the ice cream cart across the stage.
Last year, Miley reflected on this performance during a TikTok series, where she insisted that the pole wasn’t included in her set to emulate pole dancing. In fact, she pointed out that it actually had a very practical use.
Speaking in her video, she explained: “I was doing my first performance for the Teen Choice Awards, my mom was like: 'I think it would be really cool if she was in the trailer park because that's where we're really from.'"
“So, apparently, me dancing on an ice cream cart with a stripper pole,” Miley went on. “But it wasn't a stripper pole, it was actually for stability. I had a heel on, guys! What did you want from me?"
"Was I really gonna do my performance without dancing on top of an ice cream cart?" she added.
And in a new video, Miley has confirmed that her mom, Tish Cyrus, was behind more than just the trailer park theme of the performance as she revealed that it was actually her who suggested they add the pole to the set.
Speaking to her sister Brandi Cyrus for Spotify’s Billions Club series, Miley began: “This is going to be no surprise to you. Do you know whose idea that was?” and Brandi immediately guessed their mom.
“Yup, that was my mom’s idea,” Miley confirmed. “So she always lets me take the blame. When I got in trouble the next day, you know who was nowhere to be found? Tish Cyrus.”
But the star went on to admit that, to her, there was something way more noteworthy about this performance than the pole.
She quipped: “The thing that I remember most about that performance was it was the first time I ever wore real diamond jewelry on stage. So you guys remember the little old ice cream truck, I remember the diamonds.”
Of course, the 2009 Teen Choice Awards ended up being just the beginning of Miley’s controversial performances, with the star causing even more of a stir at the 2013 VMAs when she famously twerked on stage with Robin Thicke while repeatedly sticking her tongue out.
One month afterward, people were clutching their pearls again when Miley stripped nude for her “Wrecking Ball” music video.
And the star reflected on all of the scrutiny that she faced during this point in her career in an interview with British Vogue last year.
“I carried some guilt and shame around myself for years because of how much controversy and upset I really caused,” she admitted at the time. “Now that I’m an adult, I realize how harshly I was judged. I was harshly judged as a child by adults, and now, as an adult, I realize that I would never harshly judge a child.”
Miley also confessed that she had been purposefully trying to distance herself from her Hannah Montana character, explaining: “I was creating attention for myself because I was dividing myself from a character I had played. Anyone, when you’re 20 or 21, you have more to prove: ‘I’m not my parents. I am who I am.’”
You can watch Miley's latest comments about the Teen Choice performance below — let me know what you make of it all in the comments!
Miley Cyrus reacts to her controversial 2009 teen choice awards "stripper pole" performance, 15 years later pic.twitter.com/N2hRGLWmiM
— Miley Cyrus Updates (@MileyCyrusBz) November 27, 2024
Spotify / Via x.com
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