Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus' Relationship: A Look Back

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan/Getty

After two previous divorce filings,Billy Ray CyrusandTish Cyrusfinally decided togo their separate waysin April 2022.

“We have grown up together, raised a family we can be so proud of, and it is now time to create our own paths,” the former coupletold PEOPLE in a joint statement.

The couple first got married in 1993, and eventually welcomed three children together:Miley, Braison andNoah. Billy Ray also adopted Tish’s children, Brandi and Trace.

The"Achy Breaky Heart" singerand Tish went through highs and lows during their nearly three-decades-long relationship. Billy Ray previouslyfiled for divorce in 2010, but eventually withdrew his petition a few months later. In 2013, Tishfiled for divorce, but they eventually got back together after going to couples therapy.

After splitting for good, the former spouses found new love. Billy Ray married Australian singer,Firerose, in October 2023, while Tish married actorDominic Purcellin August 2023.

Here’s a look back at Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus' relationship over the years.

1991: Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus first meet at a club

The two first met at a clubsometime in 1991, just a year before the release of the country singer’s hit song “Achy Breaky Heart.” At the time, Billy Ray was homeless and living out of his car, telling PEOPLE in a previous interview, “It wasn’t pretty.”

November 23, 1992: Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus welcome their first child together

In November 1992, the two welcomed their first child together, Miley Cyrus. The same year, Billy Ray also welcomed a son named Christopher Cody with another woman.

December 28, 1993: Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus get married

Miley Cyrus/Instagram

A year after welcoming their first child,Billy Ray and Tish tied the knot on Dec. 28, 1993. At the time, Tish was pregnant with the couple’s second child.

May 9, 1994: Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus welcome their second child together

A few months after their wedding, Billy Ray and Tish welcomed their second child together, a son named Braison Cyrus, on May 9, 1994.

January 8, 2000: Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus welcome their third child together

In January 2000, Billy Ray and Tish welcomed their third child together, a daughter named Noah Cyrus.

October 27, 2010: Billy Ray Cyrus files for divorce from Tish Cyrus

Kevin Mazur/BBMA2017/Getty

In October 2010,Billy Ray filed for divorce from Tish. “As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family,” they said in a statement. “We are trying to work through some personal matters. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers.”

A month later, it was reported that Tish had an affair with Bret Michaels, whichthe Poison singer eventually denied. “The answer is no,” he said during an appearance onFox & Friends.

“I’ve been friends with her family forever,” Michaels added. “It started out with me and Miley simply working on a song together. Her mom, Tish, likes ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn,’ the first concert Miley ever saw was Poison, and so they wanted to remake it for the new record.”

February 2011: Billy Ray Cyrus opens up about “mending” his relationship with Tish Cyrus

May 2011: Billy Ray Cyrus reveals he called off his divorce to Tish Cyrus

During an interview onThe Viewin May 2011, Billy Ray revealed thathe and Tish had called off their divorce. “I’ve dropped the divorce,” he said. “I want to put my family back together Things are the best they’ve ever been.”

“I feel like I got my Miley back in a way,” he added. “I feel like we are the daddy and daughter that we were beforeHannah Montanahappened.”

June 2013: Tish Cyrus files for divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus

Steve Granitz/WireImage

About three years after Billy Ray called off their divorce,Tish filed to end their marriagein June 2013. “This is a personal matter and we are working to find a resolution that is in the best interest of our family. We ask that you respect our privacy at this time,” she told PEOPLE in a statement at the time.

In a separate statement to PEOPLE, Billy Ray said, “This is a personal matter and we are doing what is in the best interest of our family. We ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

July 2013: Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus call off their divorce

A month after filing for divorce, Billy Ray and Tish seemingly reconciled when they posteda snuggly Instagramphoto with the caption “Date Night.”

“We both woke up and realized we love each other and decided we want to stay together,“the couple later said in a statement. “We both went into couples therapy something we haven’t done in 22 years of being together, and it’s brought us closer together and really opened up our communication in amazing ways.”

They added, “Tish also said marriage can be really hard, especially after 22 years of being in entertainment. We’ve had rough times but we both realized we didn’t want to be another statistic and wanted to make it work.”

August 2016: Billy Ray Cyrus talks about how he and Tish Cyrus make their marriage work

In an interview with PEOPLE, Billy Ray spoke about how he kept his marriage going with Tish after two near divorces over the previous six years.

“Life is a series of adjustments,and you just try to do the best you can,“Billy Ray said. “Like if you are going to park your car in a parallel spot and you start backing up,and you don’t quite fit in, you have to back it up a little bit. But,barring any unforeseen catastrophe,if you make the right adjustments you will get in the spot. That’s about it. Life is a series of adjustments.”

December 28, 2018: Tish Cyrus celebrates 25th anniversary with Billy Ray Cyrus on Instagram

Tish captioned the photo: “25 years ago today @billyraycyrus and I stood in our living room in Franklin Tn and said ‘I Do.’ I would definitely say everything has come full circle!”

She also posted another photo of her and Billy Ray when they were younger with the caption, “I love u Lovey….. if I had to do it all again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

April 6, 2022: Tish Cyrus files for divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus

“We will always be family and look forward to a continued and loving shared experience as friends and parents. We have not come to this decision lightly or quickly but with so much going on in the world, we wanted to provide some clarity and closure, so we can remain focused on what is important,” continues the statement. “With Love and Hope… Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus.”

August 2022: Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose get engaged

Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose.Billy Ray cyrus/instagram

Billy Rayproposed to his girlfriend, Firerose, whom hebegan dating earlier that year.

“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,’ " the Australian singer told PEOPLE. “He said, ‘I love you. I wanna make this official. I wanna be with you forever.’ "

May 6, 2023: Tish Cyrus announces her engagement to Dominic Purcell

Tish announced her engagementtoPrison BreakactorDominic Purcellin an Instagram post. She shared a photo of Purcell with his hands around her waist as she showed off her ring, as well as another snap of Purcell leaning in for a kiss.

“A thousand times…. YES ❤️ @dominicpurcell,” Tish captioned the post.

August 19, 2023: Tish Cyrus marries Dominic Purcell

Tish and Purcell said “I do” during a poolside wedding in Malibu, California. The bride wore a long white dress and veil during the ceremony. Her children Miley, Brandi and Trace were in attendance.

October 10, 2023: Billy Ray Cyrus marries Firerose

After a yearlong engagement,Billy Ray tied the knotwith his fiancéeFirerose, on Oct. 10. The newlyweds announced their happy news in a joint statementposted to Instagram.

“10/10/23 will always be the beautiful, joyous day that our two souls united as one in holy matrimony,” they wrote. “It was the most perfect, ethereal celebration of love we could have ever imagined.”

The couple continued, “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!”

February 7, 2024: Tish Cyrus opens up about her divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus

During an appearance ontheCall Her Daddypodcastalongside her daughter Brandi, Tish opened up about why she and Billy Ray decided to part ways for good in 2022. “It had not been in a good place for a long time. I think I did stay so long out of fear. Literal fear of being alone,” she explained. “I met him when I [was] 24. So I, like, grew up … [and] he was such a huge part of that.”

She added that at the beginning of COVID, she was able to “hard look at life” as Billy Ray stayed in Nashville and Tish stayed in California to be closer to her daughters Miley and Noah. “Then being alone and all of a sudden just having kind of the weight of the world off my shoulders in some ways and [I] was able to just breathe,” she said.

She added that during that time apart from Billy Ray, her mother Loretta Finley died, which caused her to go through a “complete psychological breakdown.” She noted, “I could not eat. I could not sleep. I could not stop crying. I literally weighed, like, 103 lbs. … I don’t have my mom and then I don’t have my husband [who’s] been my husband for 30 years.”

“Looking back on it, it would have been better for her had I left. It would have been much better,” she added.

source: people.com