Miley Cyrus recently spilled the tea on her infamous ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ pole dance routine from her 2009 tour, revealing that it was actually her mother, Tish Cyrus, who came up with the idea.
Speaking to her sister, Brandi Cyrus, on Spotify’s Billions Club series, Miley reflected on the performance where she danced on a pole attached to an ice cream cart. At the time, she was still a teenager, and the routine sparked controversy among fans and critics who thought it was too provocative.
“This is going to be no surprise to you,” Miley said to Brandi during the interview. “Do you know whose idea that was?” When Brandi guessed correctly, Miley laughed and said, “When I got in trouble the next day, you know who was nowhere to be found? Tish Cyrus.”
For Miley, the most memorable part of that performance wasn’t the backlash but a personal milestone. “The thing that I remember most about that performance was it was the first time I ever wore real diamond jewellery on stage,” she said, “So you guys remember the little old ice cream truck, but I remember the diamond.”
Miley previously addressed the routine on TikTok, explaining that the pole was actually for “stability” while performing on the cart. She also shared that her mom envisioned the trailer-park-inspired setup because it tied back to their humble roots.
“My mom was like, ‘I think it would be really cool if she was in the trailer park, ’cause that’s where we really do come from’. So, apparently me dancing on an ice cream cart with a stripper pole, but it wasn’t a stripper pole, it was actually just for stability,” Miley joked. “I had a heel on! Like what did you want from me?”
Cyrus also recently opened up about her influence on younger artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan.
“At the time, you never think about in the future someone replicating what you do.,” she shared. “I have my own artists that have created who I am, like a Stevie Nicks or Dolly Parton or Tina Turner. Even though they kind of look up to me in the way that I’ve looked up to these other women, it’s really important that they do it their own way, because that’s what my career has represented above all else, is that even though I have always looked to these influences, I’ve always done it my own way”
Cyrus added that her proudest legacy is the freedom she’s inspired in others: “So I think the freedom that I’ve kind of given these other artists to be themselves, do it proud and loud, it’s just amazing to watch that kind of be so impactful and influential.”
Photo: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
