Tragic Details About Billy Ray Cyrus' Failed Relationships

Billy Ray Cyrus' achy-breaky-heart has been through the wringer several times over. The country icon's first wife, Cindy Smith, was also one of his first fans because she was in the crowd of a small show in a bar when he first laid eyes on her. Billy Ray and Smith tied the knot in 1986 and split up in 1991. Then, he found love with Kristin Luckey, and they welcomed their son, Christopher Cody Cyrus, following their own split in 1992. In the same year, the Grammy winner also became a father to Miley Cyrus, his first child with Tish Cyrus. The couple married the following year and later became parents to four more kids. As time passed, Billy Ray and Tish kept us all convinced that their marriage would last forever. Unfortunately, that notion was shattered in 2010 when Billy Ray filed for divorce. 

Although the pair ultimately never went through with the split, their relationship evidently endured another rough patch in June 2013 as Tish filed to end their union. However, only a month later, Tish shared a statement to reveal that they had reignited their spark after attending couple's therapy. Third time was unfortunately the charm for Tish and the "Old Town Road" hitmaker because they finally went their separate ways for good in 2022. Billy Ray wasted no time in finding love after the end of his 28-year marriage, however, tying the knot with Australian singer Firerose in October 2023. Unfortunately, their marriage wound up being Billy Ray's shortest one yet because the couple split up just seven months later.

According to court documents cited by People, Billy Ray Cyrus filed to annul his marriage to Firerose in May 2024 because of what he described as inappropriate marital conduct, irreconcilable differences, and fraud. In response, the Australian singer's attorneys filed a complaint alleging that she endured "extreme verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse" throughout their relationship, per People. Further, she claimed that Cyrus' substance abuse issues had created an incredibly tumultuous home environment. 

According to Firerose, her now ex-husband's temper reached an all-time high in the short period before her preventative double mastectomy surgery, during which time the country star began to "call her a 'selfish f***** b****' and continually alleged that she was using him." Firerose elaborated on Cyrus' alleged abuse during a June 2024 interview with Page Six. "Billy had very strict rules," she posited. "I didn't have a car. I was only allowed to go to the local chiropractor and allowed once a month to get my nails done [...] it was systematic isolation and I couldn't find the courage to leave." 

The Grammy winner also cycled between gushing about and berating her. Additionally, Firerose couldn't even text her loved ones without his approval. Further, her wedding hairstylist claimed that Cyrus didn't even want his wife's nearest and dearest to attend their nuptials. The country singer sparked concern and controversy after his performance at President Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration and Firerose confirmed to People that this behavior aligned with the unpredictability she was accustomed to.

After Firerose accused Billy Ray Cyrus of abusing her, he filed court documents asserting the contrary. "While [Cyrus] would acknowledge that he was certainly vocal, frustrated and angry with the Defendant in May 2024, it is [Cyrus] who, in fact, has been abused," the complaint read, per People. "Not only verbally and emotionally by [Firerose] but PHYSICALLY abused by [Firerose]." The Grammy winner vehemently denied being abusive towards his now ex-wife and Cyrus tried to prove his point by including a note that the Aussie had supposedly left in their home after she moved out for good. In it, the singer expressed her regrets and asked her then-husband for an opportunity to set things right. 

The country singer also claimed that he had ongoing suspicions about Firerose's last name. However, when he questioned her about it, the singer grew defensive and threatened to falsely tell the world he ended things with her because of her double mastectomy. Meanwhile, in court documents obtained by TMZ, Cyrus alleged that Johanna Rose Hodges, AKA Firerose, hadn't informed him that she was still using her ex-husband's last name as her legal surname. 

And the discovery had supposedly been the breaking point for their marriage in the end. In another court complaint shared by People, the "Romeo" hitmaker shockingly disclosed that the Australian singer-songwriter had allegedly tried to drive a wedge between him and his daughter by blocking her number on his phone. Amidst all the legal back and forth, an insider informed People that Cyrus believed deep down that Firerose had solely married the country star for his money.

While speaking to People in February 2024, Tish Cyrus made the most tragic confession about her divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus yet. The music manager admitted that the prospect of being single in her 50s sent her spiraling. "I thought I was going to be alone forever. And that was one of the times that I had the crippling breakdown of anxiety." Tish confessed, adding, "There were 30 days where I was not eating, sleeping, just felt like I was just coming out of my skin. And it was really scary." 

Meanwhile, when the mother-of-five was interviewed on the "Sibling Revelry" podcast in November 2024, she acknowledged clinging to their marriage for far longer than she should have simply because of Tish's aversion to being divorced, and it ultimately had negative consequences for her well-being. She wasn't alone in her thinking because even their son, Trace Cyrus, told her that he wished things had panned out differently with Billy Ray. 

In fact, even when Tish had filed for divorce in the past, her mother always urged her to work on their marriage for the sake of their youngest child, Noah Cyrus. Although she had taken the advice to heart at the time, it may not have been the best call in the long run. During a July 2024 appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, she confessed to being baffled by "how much disrespect there was in my marriage before, on both our parts." 

One of the most tragic details about the Cyrus family is how Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus' divorce caused such a massive rift between their childrn. The divide became increasingly obvious in August 2023, when Tish tied the knot with actor Dominic Purcell, and Noah and Braison Cyrus refused to join in the celebrations. While Miley Cyrus, Brandi Cyrus, and Trace Cyrus all happily watched their mother walk down the aisle, their siblings had a casual hangout (and posted about it on social media to boot). Noah apparently made her loyalties abundantly clear by donning a tee featuring her dad's face. 

Later, an insider dished to People that Noah was actually much closer to her mom's new husband, Purcell, than we knew. They claimed that the singer had a "friends with benefits" style relationship with the "Prison Break" star for quite a while. Although there was no crossover between the mother and daughter's relationships with Purcell, Tish knew it had transpired when she got together with him. The insider also pointed out, "Tish never gave Noah the chance to talk about all of this before they got married." 

Sadly, Miley appears to have a similarly fractured relationship with their father. And their discord became apparent when the "Hannah Montana" alum didn't mention Billy Ray in her Record of the Year acceptance speech at the 2024 Grammys despite thanking her mother and a singular sister. Later, an Us Weekly source clarified that the "Achy Breaky Heart" hitmaker had privately congratulated her on her win. They also confirmed that Noah's loyalty to her dad had driven a wedge between herself and Miley.

Billy Ray Cyrus' first marriage to Cindy Smith was tumultuous, to put it mildly. In his 2013 memoir, "Hillbilly Heart," the country singer recalled how Smith suggested that they tie the knot after they'd both had a little too much to drink. Although it had only been three months since their first meeting, the couple still went down to the courthouse and got hitched shortly afterward. While the newlyweds were happy in their haze, Billy Ray's female fans took issue with someone else stealing his achy-breaky heart with one even jealousy throwing a flaming drink on Smith's hair. Although Cyrus' first wife understandably stopped attending his shows after the scary incident, she still gave him the green light to casually sleep around with the women who came to see him. 

As you can imagine, this arrangement complicated matters considerably in the long run and gave rise to some serious bitterness. However, despite all their ups and downs, Billy Ray told Entertainment Weekly in 1992 that he generally had a pretty great friendship with his ex-wife. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the singer's relationship with his firstborn, Christopher Cody Cyrus, whom he welcomed with Kristin Luckey in 1992. While speaking to The Mirror in 2009, Luckey divulged that her son longed to have a tight-knit bond with his dad, but Christopher's attempts had unfortunately been in vain thus far. In fact, the country icon's firstborn even shared that although he had sent his father a Merry Christmas message on the day, he had only received a reply days later.