Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose Settle Divorce After Alleged "Scam"
Originally appeared on E! Online
Billy Ray Cyrus and his achy breaky heart are closing a chapter.
The singer finalized his divorce from ex Firerose two months after their breakup, according to court documents obtained by E! News Aug. 5.
Firerose, 36, will not receive any alimony or spousal support in the divorce settlement. However, she will receive all rights, credits and royalties for 17 songs that the couple—who married in October 2023—wrote and published together.
They are each responsible for their own attorneys fees and will retain their premarital property. Billy Ray was awarded all horses and livestock on his property and will keep five vehicles (including a 2024 Nissan Murano and 1993 Harley Davidson), while Firerose will keep her 2020 Mercedes Benz.
Billy Ray—who shares children Brandi Cyrus, 37, Trace Cyrus, 35, Miley Cyrus, 31, Braison Cyrus, 30, and Noah Cyrus, 24, with ex Tish Cyrus, as well as son Christopher Cody Cyrus, 32, with ex Kristin Luckey—spoke out following the heated divorce proceedings, in which the 62-year-old accused his then-wife of lying about her identity.
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"This has been absolutely the most crazy insane scam I have ever heard of," Billy Ray said in a statement to E! News. "Let alone the fact I'm right in the center and basically the target of the scheme. It's unfortunate it played out this way."
The Hannah Montana alum continued, "Not only was it a web of lies that put me in physical danger, it was a matter of the heart. Love is blind, that's for sure."
He added that he was "very relieved" to have the legal battle behind him.
As for Firerose, a source close to the musician tells E! News that she wanted to settle because it was "important to her that this continuous smear campaign end, and the emotional turmoil stop so she can close the door on this chapter."
After filing for divorce in June, Billy Ray accused Firerose (real name Johanna Rosie Hodges) of creating a rift with his daughters and alleged that she was a "fraud" only interested in his last name to benefit her music career.
“I saw before my very own eyes,” Billy Ray wrote in an Instagram Story July 24. “Everything I thought I knew about her was a lie. She was trying to take over my career, my life and usurp the Cyrus name for her own gain. See you in court.”
Firerose has denied Billy Ray's allegations, with her rep alleging the country star deployed an "abusive tactic to distract away from the serious, true allegations brought against him."
Firerose leveraged allegations of her own against Billy Ray in June, accusing her ex of abuse in court documents.
"Wife was the victim of extreme verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse," her attorneys wrote in court documents filed June 14 and obtained by People. "Wife was subjected to Husband's persistent drug use accompanied with the consumption of marijuana which made Husband unpredictable and volatile towards Wife."
In response, Billy Ray's lawyers called the claim "confusing and suspicious in its veracity since she begged Mr. Cyrus to forgive her and take her back only two days after he filed his pleadings to dissolve his marriage," per a statement to E! News.
"If Mr. Cyrus was truly guilty of the allegations that Ms. Hodges alleges in her pleadings, then it is mindboggling to try and explain why she would want to return to live with him," the attorneys added. "Furthermore, she was pleading with him to give her a chance to explain everything to him."
Read on for a look back at Billy Ray and Firerose's romance.
2010
Billy Ray Cyrus' first encounter with Firerose came when he was taking a break with his dog on the set of Hannah Montana, the hit Disney Channel series he starred on with his daughter Miley Cyrus from 2006 until 2011.
"On that given day, Firerose came out of the front door," the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer told People. "There was almost a moment of, I don't know, recognition. I was like, 'This girl's a star.'"
While Cyrus had no idea who Firerose, then 22, was at the time, his future fiancé definitely knew who he was. "Growing up in Australia, my love of music was predominant over everything," she said. "I've known his music since forever."
There for an audition, Cyrus offered to introduce Firerose to the Hannah Montana crew and invited her to watch the show's rehearsal.
"She met a lot of the cast and met the producers, writers," he said. "And, in some ways, well, in a lot of ways, we became friends."
2020
While the duo stayed in touch—"Our friendship was so solid over the years," Firerose told People—their bond grew when they became songwriting partners during the pandemic.
"She plays all of her own instruments and writes her own songs," Cyrus explained. "We began sharing music, and it just evolved."
July 2021
Cyrus and Firerose released their first song together "New Day," which they collaborated on amid Cyrus' private marital strife. Tish Cyrus filed for divorce for a second time in April 2022, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split and noting they hadn't lived together since February 2020.
"Billy confided in me a lot of what was going on in his life," Firerose explained. "I was just the best friend I could possibly be, supporting him."
April 2022
After finalizing his divorce with Tish and "a lot prayer," Cyrus was ready to move on and asked Firerose to be more than friends.
"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," Cyrus said. "Again, we're musicians, first and foremost, both of us. And we found this harmony, and this rhythm, this melody to life."
Soon after they began dating, Firerose moved to Cyrus' Franklin, Tenn., farm.
August 2022
Cyrus officially confirmed his relationship with Firerose when he posted the first selfie of the couple on his Instagram page.
"Wishing everyone a brilliant time at the @vmas tonight!" he captioned the pic. "Music changes everything."
Firerose also shared the photo on her page, using it to pay tribute to her boyfriend. "The world is a better place with you in it," she wrote on Aug. 25. "Happy Birthday Billy."
October 2022
The pair celebrated the fall season with a cozy snap in front of a tree with orange and red leaves, but all eyes were on the diamond ring on Firerose's finger, fueling speculation that the couple was engaged.
November 2022
The couple released their second collaboration "Time," with Cyrus describing the tune as a "reckoning."
"I've spent my life worried about things that are beyond my control," he told People. "But at this spot in my life, [I know] that all you really have is the happiness that you feel inside your mind and your heart."
November 2022
After months of speculation, Cyrus' rep confirmed to E! News that he was engaged to Firerose.
"Together imagine magic everyday," Cyrus captioned a Nov. 22 selfie of the couple. "…that's what love is."
Firerose later detailed Cyrus' proposal, which happened in August at their Tennessee home.
"Billy looked at me and said, 'Do you, do you wanna marry me?' And I was just like, 'Of course I do. I love you,'" she recalled. "He said, 'I love you. I wanna make this official. I wanna be with you forever.' "
December 2022
The singers were "dreaming of a white Christmas" while celebrating the holidays together. To commemorate the season, the couple teamed up for a cover of "Silent Night."
February 2023
While Cyrus captioned this snap "Sunsets were made for this," he and Firerose only had eyes for each other.
June 2023
Despite reports of tension with his children following his divorce, Cyrus posted a photo with Firerose and his daughter Noah Cyrus after she announced her engagement to Pinkus.
As for how Miley Cyrus feels about her father's romance with Firerose, a source close to the "Wrecking Ball" singer previously told E! News, "The divorce between her parents have put a strain on her relationship with her dad and it's been hard to connect with him in the last year. She hopes they can eventually work on their relationship."
The insider added that while Miley "doesn't have a relationship" with Firerose, "she, of course, hopes [Billy Ray] is happy."
August 2023
The engaged couple teamed up with songwriter Diane Warren for the romantic ballad "Plans," which Cyrus described as "the story of our lives" on Instagram.
The tune finds Cyrus and Firerose singing "Have you got plans for forever?" together in the chorus, with the music video featuring the pair in wedding attire.
August 2023
The crooning couple made their official red carpet debut at the 16th Annual Academy of Country Music Honors on Aug. 23, in Nashville. After posing for photos, Cyrus and Firerose took the stage together to perform with Travis Denning during the show.
October 2023
Billy Ray and Firerose confirmed they tied the knot in October 2023 by sharing photos from their wedding day.
"10/10/23 will always be the beautiful, joyous day that our two souls united as one in holy matrimony," they wrote on Instagram. "It was the most perfect, ethereal celebration of love we could have ever imagined.For both of us to hear the preacher say, 'Billy Ray and Firerose Cyrus… I now pronounce you husband and wife' that was the sacred moment our new forever began. Long Live Love!"
May 2024
Seven months later, Billy Ray officially filed for divorce from Firerose.
August 2024
The couple finalized their divorce after a two-month legal battle, their lawyers told TMZ.
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