On March 24, 2006, the world met Hannah Montana: a teenage girl living a secret double life. At just 13 years old, Miley Cyrus became the face of one of the most-watched Disney Channel shows of all time.
Now, 20 years later, Cyrus decided to return to her roots and give fans one more performance as Hannah Montana.
The “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special” brought viewers right back to their childhood. With performances of “This is the Life,” “The Climb,” “Best of Both Worlds,” and a brand new original song, “Younger You,” Cyrus brought tears to viewers all over the world.
After the show originally ended in 2011 and Cyrus released her album “Bangerz,” fans understood this as the official end of her family-friendly pop star albums. The general consensus was that Cyrus had no interest in being associated with the children’s Disney Channel show ever again.
That is until Jan. 3, 2026, when Cyrus was asked by a Variety interviewer if she had anything special planned for the anniversary.
“You see the bangs,” said Cyrus.
In the beginning of the special that aired on Disney+, fans learned at that point there was nothing officially planned, but that Cyrus had taken a page out of Dolly Parton’s book and promoted what she wanted before it existed.
Leading up to the release of the special on March 24, 2026, more clues had been dropped, with fans anxiously waiting on more answers. Fans spotted Cyrus driving a black convertible Ford mustang with the license plate “HM20” wearing the original gold scarf from the first episode and hair styled exactly like the iconic Hannah Montana wig.
A select few superfans were then invited to a private show titled “Project Wig Anniversary” and immediately knew what was happening. “Get ready with me” style TikToks began flooding everyone’s ForYou page, increasing excitement among viewers who now had confirmation that Cyrus would once again perform.
At the premiere, the night before the official release to Disney+, fans were able to watch the red carpet appearances live on the Disney+ TikTok page. Former castmates such as Moises Arias, Jason Earles, Cody Linley and David Archuleta were interviewed. Earles even gave the interviewer an exclusive performance of “Cheese Jerky.”
The special officially aired and featured Cyrus driving the mustang, with her famous hot pink makeup kit in the passenger seat, arriving at the set of Hannah Montana. Hosted by the “Call Her Daddy” podcaster, Alex Cooper, the special featured an exclusive interview with Cyrus, a revisit to the set of the original Malibu home of Miley Stewart and her family, and Cyrus and her mother, Tish, looking through the Hannah Montana closet full of archived outfits, wigs, shoes and purses.
Special guests included Selena Gomez, who played Hannah’s enemy Michaela; Chappell Roan, a lifelong fan of the show; and Billy Ray Cyrus, Cyrus’ in-show and real-life father. Noah Cyrus also appeared during the credits scene, reminiscing on playing many different roles on the show whenever they needed an extra young girl.
Despite the general excitement surrounding the movie, fans were upset that more prominent cast members such as Emily Osment, Jason Earles, Moises Arias or Mitchell Musso were not included in the special. Osment stated she had scheduling conflicts with other filming commitments, but there was no explanation for other cast members.
It also confused fans that Chappell Roan was featured, considering she has no ties to Hannah Montana, and expected someone more relevant to the show.
Cooper’s interview with Cyrus has also received backlash. Fans were disappointed with the questions and style of the interview, with most noting they wanted more in-depth and emotional questions and answers. Cooper is a controversial interviewer when it comes to skill and experience, and the interview left fans disappointed with much to be desired.
The special concluded with Cyrus leaving the set, a recreation of the original scene of moving out of the original Malibu house and waving goodbye through the window of the patio door. Cyrus then debuted “Younger You.” The song seems to be a completion to a trilogy of songs Cyrus has released at different stages of her life: “Younger Now” (2017), “Used to Be Young” (2023) and now “Younger You” (2026).
Overall fans are happy with the special, with tears flowing watching Cyrus perform with immaculate backup dancers, great vocals and outfits reminiscent of the mid-2000s. At the same time, fans wish that it included more cast members, more meaningful guests unlike Roan and had a more in-depth interview or an entirely different host.
Olivia Arnold is a junior at Indiana University Indianapolis, majoring in journalism with a minor in general communications. She is a writer for The Campus Citizen. Beyond writing, she enjoys watching reality TV, reading classic literature and traveling.
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