Firerose Claims She Had to Ask for ‘Permission’ From Billy Ray Cyrus to Send Texts and Emails

Firerose and Billy Ray Cyrus' ongoing divorce keeps getting messier, and the Australian native claimed that the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer kept close tabs on her phone usage during their marriage.

“Billy had very strict rules,” Firerose, 37, alleged in an interview with Page Six published on Sunday, June 30. “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.”

She continued, “If I had to send a text, I had to read it out to him for permission. It was the same for email.”

Firerose, whose real name is Johanna Rose Hodges, alleged that Billy Ray banned her family and friends from visiting her, adding that sometimes the country singer would give her the silent treatment for days at a time.

“I withdrew …I was afraid to talk,” Firerose told the publication.

The singer also claimed that Billy Ray, 62, kicked her out of their shared home the same day she was scheduled to have a double mastectomy. Firerose was previously diagnosed with the BRCA 1 gene which leads to a higher chance of developing breast cancer.

On top of the rules Firerose was allegedly made to follow, she also claimed that Billy Ray would continually scream at her and “made her feel like a prisoner” at their farm outside Nashville, Tennessee.

One of Firerose’s friends backed up her claims and told the outlet, “It felt like Firerose was in a prison that she didn’t sign up for.”

The “Could’ve Been Me” singer first met Firerose while he was working alongside daughter Miley Cyrus on Hannah Montana in 2010. She was 22 and he was 48 at the time. While Firerose claimed that Billy Ray told her that they were “soulmates” and had “a love story for the ages,” he was still married to his second wife, Tish Cyrus, at the time.

Firerose said they barely kept in touch after meeting, but ten years later he asked her to collaborate with him on a version of Tanya Tucker’s “Delta Dawn.” The couple began dating soon after they started working together in 2021. Firerose claimed that Billy Ray would promise her he was “getting divorced,” but that his and Tish’s kids “complicated” matters. She also alleged that Billy Ray told her not to discuss their relationship publicly.

“I would never ever have entered into a relationship with a married man, but he was such a great manipulator,” Firerose told Page Six.

Once she moved from Los Angeles to Tennessee, Firerose claimed that Billy Ray isolated her “from every single person in [her] life.” Firerose, who’s sober, said the only person she remained in contact with was her AA sponsor and that was only because she insisted on speaking to them.

The “After the Storm” songstress also claimed that Billy Ray verbally abused her during their time together.

“He would rage at me, shout at me at the top of his lungs. He would terrify me, yelling, ‘You stupid, dumb f--king bitch, crazy whore,'” Firerose told the outlet. “It was illogical and insane and terrifying.”

In Touch reached out to Billy Ray Cyrus for comment but have not received a response.

However, Billy Ray previously claimed Firerose's abuse allegations were only to “sensationalize her false complaints by using the word ‘abuse,'” according to court documents obtained by In Touch on June 24. The filing acknowledged that Billy Ray was “certainly vocal, frustrated, and angry,” but it was him who "has been abused.”

The paperwork added that Billy Ray was “not only verbally and emotionally by [Firerose], but also PHYSICALLY abused by [Firerose].”

“If [Billy Ray] was indeed as abusive as [Firerose] claims, it is mindboggling to try and explain why, upon vacating [Billy Ray’s] premarital residence, [Firerose] would leave [Billy Ray] a handwritten note and then send him a text message stating in her word, ‘I am sorry’ and ‘please give me a chance to make this right. I can explain everything but I need you on my side,'” Billy Ray's lawyer stated.

A rep for Firerose disputed the claims.

“[Billy Ray’s] story keeps evolving and this filing is simply another abusive tactic to distract away from the serious, true allegations brought against him and backed by an abundance of evidence,” the rep told In Touch. “The only individuals backing his false claims are those on his payroll, whose credibility is questionable. The audacity to question a BRCA positive women’s decision to undergo a preventative surgery further shows the kind of cruel manipulation Firerose was subjected to. What Billy Ray fails to recognize is when you have a decades-long history of emotional and psychological abuse, people start to take notice. The truth will come to light.”