What The Cast Of Hannah Montana Looks Like Now

If you were watching Disney Channel in the 2000s, chances are you saw at least one episode of "Hannah Montana." And even if you didn't watch Disney, you probably had at least heard of the show. "Hannah Montana" was a cultural phenomenon. The Emmy-nominated show ran for 100 episodes — a feat worthy of praise for adult television shows, let alone a kids' show. The series also spawned a movie, "Hannah Montana: The Movie," which featured seasoned actors like Vanessa Williams, Melora Hardin, and Margo Martindale, and garnered cameos from Tyra Banks and Rascal Flatts. To this day, it's one of the highest-grossing Disney Channel movies of all time.

"Hannah Montana" also catapulted its star, Miley Cyrus, to fame, and her cultural influence is just as strong today as when the show was in its prime. But plenty of other recognizable names and faces were also part of the show, and since "Hannah Montana" ended, many have gone on to do other exciting projects. Here's what the cast of "Hannah Montana" is up to today.

Before she was the bonafide superstar that she is today, we came to know Miley Cyrus as Miley Stewart on "Hannah Montana." Cyrus played the titular role — a teenage girl who wants to live out her dreams of being a pop star while simultaneously maintaining a normal life. In the pilot episode, Miley's best friend Lilly learns her secret, but most of their peers at school don't know the truth. Today, Cyrus is still making music, and 2023 was a particularly successful year for the star: She released an album, "Endless Summer Vacation," her hit single "Flowers" went number one, and she gave us further insight into her past through her "Used to be Young" series on TikTok.

One surprising revelation to come from Cyrus' series was the jam-packed schedule she followed as an adolescent while filming "Hannah Montana." The singer walked viewers through a weekend itinerary from when she was 12 or 13 years old, which included an early call time for hair and makeup, several interviews, photo shoots, and multiple 12-hour days in a row, all of which she fit in before returning to set on Monday to film new episodes of the show. "I'm a lot of things, but lazy ain't one of them," Cyrus said of her work ethic. "I do think this girl deserves a little endless summer vacation." 

Miley Cyrus wasn't the only person in her family who starred in "Hannah Montana." Right along with her was her father Billy Ray Cyrus, who prior to that was best known for his '90s country hit "Achy Breaky Heart." In the show, Billy Ray played Robby Ray Stewart, Miley's dad and Hannah's manager. While filming the show, Billy Ray was married to Tish Cyrus, and he was raising Miley and her siblings. Since the show ended, Billy Ray's children have grown up, but he and Tish have also since divorced.

Billy Ray has a new love in his life now. In November 2022, Billy Ray became engaged to the Australian singer Firerose. The pair were friends first, but their relationship eventually turned into something more. Cyrus told People, "When we began sharing the music, it just evolved more into, as musical soulmates, to soulmates, happy, pure love that to me, I didn't know could exist." He explained, "We found this harmony, and this rhythm, this melody to life." The couple has yet to announce a wedding date, but they seem content traveling and making music together in the meantime.

The aforementioned character Lilly — Miley Stewart's best friend and Hannah Montana's biggest fan — was played by Emily Osment. Lilly not only kept Miley's identity a secret, but she was also a groupie at many Hannah Montana shows and events. Though Osment never grew to the height of fame that Miley Cyrus hit, she was still a recognizable face on Disney Channel throughout the mid to late aughts, and her life did change as a result of being on the show. As Osment said in a podcast interview, "We had no idea what it was going to be, that it was just going to be this sensation that, like, swept the world ... the immediate change that we felt just walking around in the world was so weird."

Osment isn't on quite as big of a show as "Hannah Montana" now, but she has continued acting since it ended. Post-Disney Channel, Osment was cast in made-for-TV movies and television shows, but she eventually landed a starring role as Gabi Diamond, a personal chef for a wealthy entrepreneur, in the Freeform sitcom "Young and Hungry," which lasted for five seasons. Her biggest role since then has been as Mandy McAllister in "The Big Bang Theory" spin-off "Young Sheldon." Osment has also since gotten engaged.

On every kids' television show, there's at least one token annoying sibling character. On "Hannah Montana," that was Jackson Stewart, Miley's older brother, played by Jason Earles. Jackson was by no means Earles' first acting role, but it's since become one that's defined his career. Earles continued acting after his time on "Hannah Montana" came to an end, with "Kickin' It" and "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" being two of his most notable projects. He said of the latter gig, "It's been really gratifying, honestly. It's collectively the most talented group of people I think I've ever seen," Earles said in an interview about the young cast he's worked with on the series.

Earles also noted that he can see the possibility of a "Hannah Montana" reboot sometime in the future. "The right people would have to be involved ... I think it really hinges upon [Miley Cyrus]. I think she has a much better relationship with the show now than maybe she did right when we finished," Earles shared. "But I don't think it really makes a lot of sense if she's not [involved]," he added. We'll be the first to watch if this reboot ever happens!

In the 2000s, it seemed like Disney Channel loved to center television shows around a girl as the main character and give her one girl bestie and one boy bestie ("Lizzie McGuire" and "That's So Raven" had the same dynamic). In "Hannah Montana," the male friend was Oliver, played by Mitchel Musso. Musso clearly had a strong relationship with the network, because while "Hannah Montana" was airing, Musso landed a role in another popular Disney Channel Show: He voiced Jeremy on the animated series "Phineas and Ferb." Musso hasn't had much acting work since those two shows ended, but he has reprised his role as Jeremy for a few projects.

However, Musso found himself in the headlines again in August 2023 but for less pleasant reasons. Musso was arrested in Texas for theft and public intoxication. And just days after the incident, Musso spoke out to defend himself. "I was absolutely not drunk or drinking, and there was 100% no theft. It's unfortunate, it's a misunderstanding," the former Disney star told EW. He went on to give more of his perspective on the ordeal. "I was the one who was being verbally abused and also harassed. Someone ripping something out of your hand is not the most polite manners to have in this situation." Unfortunately, it appears that the situation has yet to be resolved.

Who doesn't love a good supporting character? On "Hannah Montana," Moises Arias played the comical side character Rico, the academically gifted son of a wealthy family and the manager of a concession stand near the beach. Arias had a burgeoning acting career prior to his time on "Hannah Montana," and he continued acting after the show ended, eventually landing a role alongside Pete Davidson in his semi-autobiographical film "The King of Staten Island." In addition to his acting work, Arias is a talented photographer who has worked with multiple big-name models, including Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber.

Arias has a passion for both of his creative endeavors, and he sees them as symbiotic. "Acting let me discover photography, and I think they just go hand in hand. As a photographer, you're trying to capture something, and as the actor, like, if you're always the photographer you never know how difficult it is to be in front of a camera, and it is very difficult to be in front of a camera ... You get both sides and I think they both help each other," Arias said in an interview about his relationship to photography and acting.

Every pop star needs a good bodyguard. Frances Callier played Hannah Montana's bodyguard, a feisty woman named Roxy whom fans will remember for her catchphrase, "Roxy like a puma." Callier's professional acting career goes back to the early 2000s when she had roles on shows like "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Frasier," and "Drake and Josh." Prior to that, Callier was part of The Second City in Chicago, the legendary comedy theater where icons like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Chris Farley, Stephen Colbert, and so many other stars got their start. Like many Second City alumni, Callier has also written and produced projects.

Years after the end of "Hannah Montana" Callier is still acting, but she's pursuing other ventures, too. Along with her friend Angela V. Shelton, whom she met while at Second City, Callier hosts "Me Time With Frangela," "an interactive talk show about what's going on in the world, your relationships, and what'll make you LOL," as it's described on the show's Instagram page. "Most best friends have to wait until they get home to call each other to gossip about their day. Mine is right there on stage with me," Callier said about her job.

Shanica Knowles played Amber Addison in "Hannah Montana," a popular girl at school who often made fun of Miley and Lilly. Amber was also known for having a good singing voice, which made for some comical interactions between her and Miley, a secret world-famous teenage pop star. Knowles is still acting today, and in June 2023, she shared on Instagram that she has a role in an upcoming film called "Don't Suck," featuring comedians Matt Rife and Jamie Kennedy. "This movie is HILARIOUS and I had so much fun bringing Connie to life. We had A LOT of laughs on set, let me tell you," Knowles wrote.

In 2018, Knowles had a role in another piece of iconography brought back from the early 2000s: "Life-Size 2," a sequel to "Life-Size" starring Tyra Banks, Lindsay Lohan, and Francia Raisa. For the sequel, Knowles got to work with Banks and Raisa, both of whom reprised their roles from the original film. "I really feel honored to play this role because Talia is someone that is everyone's best friend, and she really cares about fashion, she cares about makeup, she cares about hair, she cares about looking your best and feeling confident about yourself," Knowles said in an interview about her "Life-Size 2" character.

Most good bullies in children's television shows come as part of a duo. Such was the case in "Hannah Montana," where Anna Maria Perez de Tagle played Amber Addison's sidekick, Ashley. Ashley was a bit ditzier than Amber, but like Amber, she always had on a cute outfit and glam that would have been more fitting for a model than a teenager (though that's to be expected in Hollywood). De Tagle began acting a few years before she appeared in "Hannah Montana" and continued to do so after, and some of her major credits include both "Camp Rock" movies and the film "The Message." De Tagle also had a role in the 2011 production of "Godspell" on Broadway.

Though de Tagle has acted some in the past few years, her priorities seem to have shifted. The actor is now married, and in 2021, she and her husband welcomed a daughter. "God has blessed me with the most beautiful, loving family and celebrating life with them is the most rewarding & fulfilling gift," de Tagle said on Instagram. De Tagle still shows love for her past, though. On the 14th anniversary of "Hannah Montana" first airing, de Tagle posted a compilation video to Instagram of some of the best moments she and Shanica Knowles shared while playing Amber and Ashley.

Despite only appearing in 12 episodes, "Hannah Montana" viewers across the world fell in love with Cody Linley when he played Jake Ryan, Miley's love interest. Spoiler alert: The two did not end up together, but Linley still exited the show with plenty of fans. "I even thought that we were going to be together, and it was so sweet, cause Miley was I think kinda bummed that they wrote my character out [of the show], but you know it's a show, there is only two ways they could go with it, so I was happy for the time that I had," Linley told MTV of his time on the series.

Post-"Hannah Montana," Linley continued acting, landing a role in the fourth and fifth installments of the "Sharknado" series. Linley has also been putting his acting skills to good use by helping others hone their own craft: The former "Hannah Montana" hunk works as an acting coach. "Shout out to the inspirational actors that I had the pleasure of working with this week!" Linley said to a group he worked with in July of 2023. "Y'all inspire me to continue to learn and have fun with my passion of storytelling." Linley has also gotten into writing, directing, and producing since his time at Disney.

In "Hannah Montana," Miley and Lilly interacted with several of their classmates on a regular basis, including Sarah, played by Morgan York. Sarah was known for her kind heart and generous spirit, and she was always involved in some sort of charity work. If you don't recognize York from "Hannah Montana," you might recognize her from her role as Kim Baker in both "Cheaper by the Dozen" films, or from her role as Lulu Plummer in "The Pacifier." And of all the former "Hannah Montana" stars on this list, she's the only one who hasn't acted professionally since the show ended. Now, York works as a podcaster and a writer, and she even founded her own media company.

As York will tell you, she doesn't miss acting. The writer opened up on TikTok about her decision to leave the acting world, saying, "I never expected it to be a lifetime thing. I even remember as a kid trying to imagine myself as an adult actor and just not seeing it." She added, "My passion for acting did not outweigh all the costs, like all the time you have to spend away from loved ones on sets and the constant scrutiny from people watching you." It sounds like she's living her best life these days off-camera.