Hannah Montana Reunion: What Happened to the Cast After the Disney Show Ended?
For many of us, Hannah Montana was, quite simply, our childhood. Personally, the endless exploits of Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) and her pop star alter ego had me hooked from day dot — even though I never could quite work out how nobody recognised that Miley and Hannah literally had the same face.
Many Disney Channel shows have come and gone, but Hannah Montana’s pop culture impact remains unmatched. The fact that many of the songs were certifiable bangers definitely helped things, but it was the cast of Hannah Montana that really cemented the series’ star power. Now that Hannah Montana’s 20th anniversary special has been released, we’re looking back at the cast who made it happen and where they are now.
Miley Cyrus (Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana)
Starting strong, we have Hannah herself, Miley Cyrus. Since her time on the show, she’s focused mostly on carving out her music career, giving us classics like ‘Wrecking Ball’ and ‘Flowers.’
That hasn’t prevented her from also doing her fair share of film and TV work. Along with starring melodramatic teen roles in LOL and The Last Song, she’s lent her voice to projects like Disney’s animated caper Bolt and Guardians of the Galaxy 2, where she voiced Mainframe. She was also at the centre of the 2017 Black Mirror episode ‘Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,’ where she played pop star Ashley O. In this episode, Ashley’s career is heavily controlled by her aunt, and many have interpreted it as a commentary on her time at Disney.
One to watch: While critics were unsure about this episode of Black Mirror, I think it carries a certain charm. Plus, the Nine Inch Nails cover is a total earworm.
Emily Osment (Lily Truscott)
As Lily Truscott and Lola Luftnagle, Emily Osment played Miley’s closest friend and confidante (even though, rumour has it, the pair weren’t all that close in real life).
Before Hannah Montana, she was a child star who was in some of the Spy Kids movies. She has also had a pretty solid career in the industry since Hannah Montana, starring in the 2011 movie Cyberbully and the sitcom Young & Hungry. After that, she appeared in Netflix’s The Kominsky Method, but these days, she is best known for her role as Mandy McAllister in Young Sheldon and its subsequent spin-off, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
One to watch: To me, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over is an underrated classic.
Mitchel Musso (Oliver Oken)
Mitchel Musso played Miley and Lily’s friend Oliver in Hannah Montana. Sadly, his once-promising career seems to have been cut short by legal issues. He initially had a pretty solid working relationship with Disney, voicing Jeremy in Phineas and Ferb, hosting their reality show PrankStars, voicing Santa Paws in their Christmas movie The Search for Santa Paws, and starring in the first two seasons of Disney XD sitcom Pair of Kings.
But after being arrested and charged with a DUI in 2011, he did not return to Pair of Kings. That being said, he did continue to voice Jeremy on Phineas and Ferb. He returned to voice the character for the 2020 film, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, but didn't return for the revival.
He also starred in lesser-known films like Sins of Our Youth, The Sand, and Characterz.
One to watch: While Jeremy isn’t a particularly memorable character on Phineas and Ferb, the show itself is pretty entertaining and nostalgic.
Jason Earles (Jackson Stewart)
Fun fact: Jason Earles was nearly 29 during the first season of Hannah Montana. Before his role as Miley’s older brother Jackson, Earles appeared in the Disney film National Treasure and the CBS sitcom Still Standing. After Hannah Montana ended, he starred as Rudy Gillespie in the Disney XD show Kickin’ It. He also lent his voice to a couple of movies in the Air Bud franchise — Space Buddies and Super Buddies.
He later continued his working relationship with Disney by playing Dewey Wood in seasons 3 and 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
One to watch: Sure, the name is a bit of a tongue twister, but High School Musical: The Musical: The Series actually works pretty well as a standalone series — it’s basically a slightly tamer Glee, but offers its own unique charm.
Billy Ray Cyrus (Robby Ray Stewart)
Robby Ray and Miley Stewart were basically father-daughter goals on Hannah Montana, with the Disney show incorporating aspects of Cyrus’ real-life country music career (he’s best known for the 1992 song ‘Achy Breaky Heart’) into the show.
During his time on Hannah Montana, he was also a supporting cast member of the Jackie Chan-led comedy film The Spy Next Door. Cyrus continued to appear in movies after Hannah Montana, too, most notably in Like a Country Song and Sharknado 2: The Second One. He also played an Elvis impersonator in the sitcom Still The King, which ran for two seasons.
In recent years, he’s become best known for collaborating with Lil Nas X on the remix version of the song ‘Old Town Road.’
One to watch: For The Spy Next Door, Cyrus was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor — which is one way to pique curiosity.
Moises Arias (Rico Suave)
Rico was undoubtedly the most annoying character in Hannah Montana, but actor Moises Arias’ ability to play a character that annoying is a skill in itself. Outside of Hannah Montana, Arias has appeared in several movies, including Five Feet Apart, Ender’s Game, and The King of Staten Island.
He’s also appeared in numerous TV shows, including cameos on multiple Disney Channel sitcoms. These days, he’s best known for playing Norm MacLean in Fallout, which is a TV series based on the video game franchise of the same name.
One to watch: With a score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, Fallout is definitely a successful video game adaptation — it’s acclaimed by critics and fans alike.
