Miley Cyrus has confirmed that Selena Gomez will join the Hannah Montana 20th anniversary special on Disney+, admitting she underestimated how much their real-life friendship means to fans amid long-standing feud rumours. The revelation came during a recent interview with Variety as Cyrus prepares for the March 2026 event marking two decades since the show's 2006 premiere.
Hannah Montana launched Miley Cyrus as a Disney darling, with her portraying schoolgirl Miley Stewart who moonlighted as pop sensation Hannah under a frizzy blonde wig. Selena Gomez, meanwhile, played arch-rival Mikayla in on-screen spats that fans adored, including playground taunts such as dubbing her a 'Mik-cockroach.' Those fictional barbs fuelled whispers of off-screen tension, especially since both dated Nick Jonas around the same time.
Cyrus Underestimates Fan Appeal of Gomez Bond
Cyrus credited Call Her Daddy podcaster Alex Cooper, a self-professed superfan, for pushing Gomez onto the guest list. 'I love Selena, but I didn't know how much our friendship meant to the fans,' Cyrus said, sounding almost surprised at the hype. Cooper also suggested opening the special with a drive from her Malibu home to the soundstage, a nod to Hannah's beachside pad. 'I didn't think about the correlation between Hannah's house in Malibu and my house in Malibu,' she reflected, linking it to her own property's fiery past and rebuild.
miley cyrus and selena gomez reflecting on their ‘hannah montana’ days 😭 pic.twitter.com/bVERbo0iWh
— nostalgia (@solelynostalgia) March 24, 2026
Diving back into the catalogue felt like slipping onto an old bike after three rehearsals. Cyrus belted out 'Best of Both Worlds' for the first time since 2008, gently teasing her dancers' modern twists. 'It was literally a bike. The dancers were doing stuff, and I'm like, "That's not original!" And they're like, "Well, we're trying to make it modern." I'm like, "It ain't broke – don't fix it!"' she laughed. These candid asides make Cyrus's return feel less like a nostalgia cash-in and more like a cheeky homecoming.
Debunking the Cyrus-Gomez Feud Myth
Talk of a genuine rift peaked years ago, rooted in Disney teen drama. Jennifer Stone from Wizards of Waverly Place discussed it on her rewatch podcast with David DeLuise, dissecting the 2009 crossover Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana. When DeLuise asked if Cyrus and Gomez clashed during the shoot, both 17 at the time, Stone dismissed it as 'messy high school nonsense.'
She pinpointed Nick Jonas as the spark. Cyrus dated him first, from 2006 to late 2007, later telling Seventeen they were 'in love.' Gomez was linked to him in 2008, their fling flickering on and off until 2010. 'They intermittently got along,' Stone said. 'I mean, come on. It was, like, high school.' Now she added, 'They're fine... all good.'
@wizardspod Who else LOVED that #wizardsondeckwithhannahmontana crossover 🤩🤩 All new #wizardspod out NOW… link in bio 🤪🪄 #selenagomez #mileycyrus #wowp #wizardsofwaverlyplace #podcast #disney #fyp ♬ original sound - Wizards of Waverly Pod
Gomez herself dismissed the feud in a 2016 W interview. 'We never feuded. We both liked the same guy when we were 16. It was just a Hilary Duff-Lindsay Lohan thing: "Oh, my God, we like the same boy." We are now completely settled in our own lives.' Social media backs it up.
In 2020, during lockdown, Gomez joined Cyrus's Instagram Live Bright Minded, sharing her bipolar diagnosis openly. By 2023, matching single releases prompted Gomez's now-deleted Story post: '@mileycyrus and I both have a SINGLE SOON and we are releasing on the same day. We have been friends since we USED TO BE YOUNG. Excited for August 25!!!'
The show's core cast – Emily Osment as loyal Lilly, Mitchel Musso as Oliver, Jason Earles as slacker brother Jackson, and Billy Ray Cyrus as dad-manager Robby Ray – defined the era. Premiering on Disney Channel in 2006, it ran four seasons, blending teen angst with secret-identity hijinks. This special promises archival gems and recreated sets, such as the rotating closet, though only Cyrus, her dad, and now Gomez are confirmed guests so far.
Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana.pic.twitter.com/yxs1pWPAuw
— The Notorious (@camlibelive) March 24, 2026
Cyrus's personal arc adds depth. Sober now, she views her past with compassion, dismissing regrets as 'pointless.' Gomez confirmed her romance with Benny Blanco last year, while Cyrus has been linked to Maxx Morando since 2021. Their paths, once tangled in Jonas-era tabloid speculation, now intersect in a way that feels triumphantly unscripted. Fans, it seems, always sensed the off-screen spark.
