‘Hannah Montana’: 1 Star Has an Election Day Message Straight From the Hit Disney Channel Show
Many celebrities have used their social media platforms to motivate citizens to vote in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. From Taylor Swift’s Joe Biden cookie endorsement to Kirstie Alley’s affinity for Donald Trump, they’ve found creative ways to express their opinions. Here’s how one Hannah Montana star used the Disney Channel sitcom to make a point.
‘Hannah Montana’ aired from 2006-2011
Hannah Montana premiered in 2006. The series focused on Miley Stewart (played by Miley Cyrus), a teenager who hides her identity as a country singer, performing under the name Hannah Montana. Her dad (played by Cyrus’ actual father, Billy Ray Cyrus) and brother (Jason Earles) are the only ones who know her secret — at first.
The show was a massive hit for Disney. However, as Cyrus aged, she wanted to move on from it and establish her career. After a feature film, Hannah Montana: The Movie, the series’ final season, Hannah Montana Forever, aired, concluding in January 2011. By the time the finale aired, Cyrus’ had parted ways with the network.
Miley Cyrus is not a fan of President Donald Trump
Since leaving Disney, Cyrus has focused primarily on her music, releasing albums such as Bangerz and Younger Now. She’s also become more outspoken, using her substantial platform to address homelessness, climate change, LGBTQ rights, and much more over the years, which only increased under the current administration.
“I said I would move away if he became president,” Cyrus told Vanity Fair of Trump in 2019. “What the f*ck is that going to change? As someone who is so proud of being an activist, am I going to feel proud of myself just running away from, and leaving everyone else here to live under, a completely racist, sexist, hateful a**hole?”
Cody Linley used the show to send a message
On Hannah Montana, Miley Stewart has an on-again, off-again relationship with Jake Ryan. Jake is an actor and frequently boasts about his own fame, with Miley keeps hers a secret. In one of his many name-drop scenes, he cites Trump’s famous line from his reality show, The Apprentice.
“And that’s when I said, ‘No Mr. Trump. You’re fired!'” the character is saying in a screenshot from the show. Actor Cody Linley, who portrayed Jake Ryan, shared this on his Instagram account. “Who else has been waiting four years to say what Jake Ryan said a decade ago?” Linley captioned the image.
How did the other ‘Hannah Montana’ stars vote?
Other Hannah Montana actors shared posts on election day. After tweeting a kind message to first lady Melania Trump a few weeks earlier (which he later deleted), Billy Ray tweeted a photo of himself with an “I Voted” sticker on his hat, writing, “Democracy alive and well. God Bless America.” But he didn’t share who he voted for.
Earles shared a photo of his own sticker on the same day, revealing his support for Democratic nominee Biden and his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris. Emily Osment, who portrayed Miley’s best friend Lilly Truscott, also backed the Biden/Harris ticket, voting weeks early via a ballot box.
