At the Grammy Awards ceremony on February 4, Miley Cyrus clinched two awards, marking her first Grammy wins more than 15 years after her music debut. Despite her victories, there was one notable absence from her acceptance speeches: her father and "Hannah Montana" co-star, Billy Ray Cyrus.
Cyrus' initial win came in the category of Best Pop Solo Performance for "Flowers," a track from her eighth album, "Endless Summer Vacation." Later in the evening, she also secured the Record of the Year award for her hit song "Flowers."
Miley Cyrus, who entered the February 4 ceremony with a total of six nominations, had received eight Grammy Award nominations throughout her career before 2024. However, she had never won prior to this year, joining the ranks of Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, and Katy Perry.
During her acceptance speech for her first award, Miley Cyrus humorously remarked that she had been stuck in traffic and had feared missing the ceremony.
"I could've missed the award, that's fine, but not Mariah Carey," she quipped, referring to the presenter of the award.
Seated in her "lucky number three" at the ceremony, Miley Cyrus shared a poignant story that she felt encapsulated the significance of the moment.
She recounted a tale of a little boy who yearned for a butterfly. Despite his efforts with a butterfly net, he couldn't capture the elusive insect. Eventually, he surrendered and accepted that he may not catch it. It was at that moment of surrender that the butterfly landed gracefully on the tip of his nose.
Drawing a parallel, Cyrus expressed that her song "Flowers" was akin to her butterfly. She concluded her speech by proudly displaying the golden statuette, symbolizing her triumph.
During her second speech after winning Record of the Year, Miley Cyrus shared a dance with fellow nominee Billie Eilish as they made their way to the stage to accept her award.
"This award is incredible, but I sincerely hope it doesn't alter anything because my life was already beautiful yesterday," she commenced her speech. "Not everyone in the world will receive a Grammy, but every individual on this planet is remarkable, so please don't regard this as significant."
Continuing her speech, Miley Cyrus expressed gratitude to her collaborators, team, and her "main gays" for their support, humorously noting, "look how good I look!"
She proceeded to thank her mother, Tish, her sister, and her boyfriend, but notably omitted her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, from her acknowledgments.
"Thank you to all the people we love. I don't think I've missed anyone," she concluded with a playful remark, "But I might have forgotten my underwear. Bye!"
Following the event, Miley Cyrus addressed the speculation in an Instagram post, reassuring her followers that she was only joking about forgetting her underwear and confirming she was indeed wearing matching custom Gucci panties.
However, fans were primarily focused on the omission of her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, from her acceptance speech.
One fan, @wtfdolk, shared a video of the speech alongside the caption "just realized this was billy ray shade."
Speculation about a potential family discord arose from the fact that Miley's parents, Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus, had separated and filed for divorce in April 2022. Both have since remarried: Tish Cyrus (now Cyrus-Purcell) tied the knot with Dominic Purcell in April 2023, while Billy Ray Cyrus married Australian singer Firerose in October 2023.
On February 5, the day after the Grammys, Miley Cyrus expressed gratitude to her fans and various family members in an Instagram post. However, her father was noticeably absent from the list of acknowledgments.
The caption of the post read in part: "To my mommy @tishcyruspurcell I love you more than anything in the entire universe, my family, @brandicyrus thank you for being there like always, my godmother @dollyparton — I felt your fairy dust everywhere (I put a little extra in my hair, could you tell?!)."
At the Grammys, Miley Cyrus made a fashion statement by walking the red carpet in a sheer bronze ensemble, distinct from the outfit she wore while accepting her awards. This outfit accentuated the gold tones in her voluminous hair.
Fans drew connections between Miley Cyrus's hairstyle and her godmother Dolly Parton, while also linking her custom gold, netted Maison Margiela outfit to Jane Fonda's character in "Barbarella."