For quite some time now, Miley Cyrus has been teasing a return as Hannah Montana to celebrate the Disney Channel show’s 20th anniversary. Now, it’s officially happening on the 2026 TV schedule. According to the singer, we have a habit she picked up from Dolly Parton to partially thank for The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.
If you grew up a Disney Channel kid, the nostalgia for shows like Hannah Montana is real. So, when Cyrus started dropping hints that she might be planning something for the project’s anniversary, I hung on to every word. It turns out that teasing was all part of the plan to get this thing greenlighted. And that strategy was one she picked up from her godmother, Dolly Parton, as she told Variety:
I learned this terrible habit — but I actually think it was good advice — from Dolly. She told me that if you want something to happen, promote it before it exists. Then no one can say no. So I just started promoting a ‘Hannah Montana’ 20th-anniversary special that literally did not exist.
Well, I’m happy she essentially manifested and promoted this into existence. It’s also wild to think that the “Wrecking Ball” singer needed to do this to get it made.
Article continues belowHowever, Cyrus explained that she actually thinks Disney sometimes forgets she is Hannah Montana. However, the singer is very aware of the impact the Disney Channel character still has on people, as she explained:
I think even Disney sometimes forgets the connection between me and Hannah. It’s not just a TV show. I see daily how important Hannah is to people. When I travel, people bring me ‘Hannah’ merch. They ask, ‘Are you ever going to do another season?’
So, knowing all that, she started doing the work. She began talking about this special (even though it didn’t exist). And then, as she did that, she made sure that Disney knew about the hype that was being created around her statements. In fact, as fans started getting excited, Cyrus started sending their reactions to Disney, telling them:
I’m telling you, this would be huge.
It’s certainly poised to be huge, too. Personally, I’ve been counting down the days to streaming the Hannah Montana anniversary with my Disney+ subscription, and it’s been a significant point of conversation among my friends.
Now, we can thank the woman behind the titular character for hyping us all up about it. I write that because Disney exec Charlie Andrews literally said that when it comes to this upcoming special, Miley Cyrus “willed it into existence.”
With that in mind, let’s all thank Miley Cyrus for making this happen. However, let’s also thank Dolly Parton, Cyrus’s occasional collaborator and godmother, for teaching her a valuable lesson: If you want something to happen, you have to make people aware of it. And that’s exactly what the “Flowers” singer did here.
Now, on March 24, we’ll be able to stream The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special on Disney+, and it’s all because Miley Cyrus was determined to get it made and started talking about it well before it ever actually existed.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
