Miley Cyrus Pays Tribute to ‘Hannah Montana’ at Disney Legends Ceremony: “I Stand Here Still Proud”

Miley Cyrus was crowned a Disney Legend on Sunday night, and used the moment to show some love to her Hannah Montana days.

At Disney’s D23 fan event in Anaheim, Cyrus was one of 14 honorees recognized for their impact on the company’s legacy. The star led the hit Disney Channel series for four seasons between 2006 and 2011, and took the stage after Lainey Wilson led a performance of her breakout song, “The Best of Both Worlds.”

“I’m definitely going to cry,” Cyrus told the crowd, admitting she wrote two speeches for the night: “One long, if I’m the badass that I’m supposed to be, and one short, if I get scared.”

Lainey Wilson performs “The Best of Both Worlds” while presenting Miley Cyrus’ Disney Legends tribute at #D23 pic.twitter.com/DbfVcHeznA

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 12, 2024

“In 2005, Disney was on a mission to rebuild and reimagine the company — that’s why they hired Bob Iger and me,” she joked. “I remember this clearly because it was during the auditioning process of Hannah Montana. There was a buzz in that Burbank Disney office, where it’s rumored they create all of us Disney kids. I definitely wasn’t created in a lab and if I was, there must have been a bug in the system which caused me to malfunction somewhere between the years of 2013 and 2016. Sorry Mickey!”

Cyrus recalled the process of landing the gig and filming the early episodes of the show, which also required her to do performances as her pop star character before anyone knew who she was.

“They gave away tickets at the Glendale mall where I would have my first free concert. The first song I opened with was titled “This Is the Life,” which of course no one knew, because in reality I was a little girl in a blonde wig at the mall with a big dream,” she recalled. “But in my heart I was Hannah Montana, and I was so proud to be.”

Miley Cyrus pays tribute to “Hannah Montana” while accepting her Disney Legends honor at #D23 pic.twitter.com/ReL2d28toc

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 12, 2024

Cyrus continued, “A little bit of everything has changed since that day, but at the same time nothing has changed at all. I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana because she made Miley in so many ways. This award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans, and to everyone who has made my dream a reality. To quote the legend herself, this is the life.”

Colleen Atwood, Angela Bassett, Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, Mark Henn, Frank Oz, Kelly Ripa, Joe Rohde and John Williams were also honored at the ceremony.