Tish Cyrus, mother of singer Miley Cyrus, has shared her personal journey through grief, divorce, and severe anxiety. In a candid conversation on Tay Lautner’s podcast The Squeeze on January 14, the 58-year-old reflected on the emotional toll of losing her mother and ending her 28-year marriage to Billy Ray Cyrus.
Coping with Back-to-Back Tragedies
Cyrus revealed that the death of her mother, Loretta “Mammie” Finley, in 2020, followed closely by her divorce in 2022, created a period of intense emotional distress.
“Two of the most probably tragic things in my life that happened, I did not, like, process or even stop to really think,” Cyrus told Lautner.
Cyrus explained that she was extremely close to her mother, who had been a constant presence in the family, even living with them while Miley filmed Hannah Montana.
“Once that was all over, we got her a little house right beside ours. She was just a massive part of our lives,” Cyrus shared.
“Her and Miley were very close. She’d go to the set with Miley and my kids just worshiped her. When she passed, not long after that, my marriage started falling apart.”
The Divorce and Anxiety Struggle
After filing for divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus in April 2022, Tish described the period as the roughest experience of her life, marked by severe anxiety and a “complete psychological breakdown.”
“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,” she said.
During this time, Cyrus acknowledged self-medicating with cannabis, which she had used in the past for mild anxiety. She admitted that she didn’t initially realize she was using it to cope with grief and emotional upheaval.
“When I decided to stop smoking, I was in full-on anxiety to the point of not functioning. I did not know what was happening,” she explained.
Therapy and Healing
Tish credits therapy and self-reflection with helping her process the compounded traumas of her mother’s death and her divorce. Her daughter Miley encouraged her to read The Body Keeps the Score, which helped her understand how unprocessed trauma affects the body and mind.
“Once I was secure in my relationship with Dominic Purcell, whom I married in 2023, it was so safe … just no drama. I think it gave me this place to stand still and feel all these feelings,” Cyrus said.
While she is now “on the other side” of that intense anxiety, she admitted to occasional bouts:
“This morning, I was really anxious — and about nothing really. But I’m learning to control it.”
Using Her Experience to Advocate for Mental Health
Cyrus’s journey has inspired her to support mental health organizations and raise awareness about anxiety and trauma.
“The worst part of it is you feel so alone. You feel like you’re the only person in the world dealing with it. When I would hear other people talk about it, I would realize, ‘You can overcome it,’” she shared.
Tish emphasized the importance of hearing others’ experiences in recovery:
“It really is hard to see when you’re in it. But just hearing other people is probably the most helpful thing.”
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