Yes, Dolly Parton really was Miley Cyrus\u2019s godmother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their relationship wasn\u2019t something invented for television or a nickname created by fans. Dolly had known Miley\u2019s family since before the singer was born and became a genuine mentor and family figure throughout Miley Cyrus\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And in a surprising twist, researchers later discovered that Dolly and Miley were actually distantly related too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The connection began with Miley Cyrus\u2019s father, Billy Ray Cyrus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Billy Ray became one of country music\u2019s biggest stars following the release of \u201cAchy Breaky Heart\u201d in 1992, and he developed a friendship with Dolly Parton while the two performed and toured together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus were expecting Miley, Dolly became close to the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly later explained that she had known Miley since before she was born and already thought of herself as something of a godmother to the child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miley Cyrus was born on November 23, 1992, and Dolly went on to become her godmother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than simply holding the title, Dolly remained closely involved in Miley\u2019s life as she grew up and later entered the entertainment industry herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For most of their lives, Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus believed their relationship was through friendship rather than blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then came a surprising discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Genealogy company Ancestry revealed in 2024 that Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus were actually seventh cousins, once removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Researchers traced both musicians back to a shared ancestor named John Brickey, who was born in Virginia in 1740 before later settling in Tennessee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That makes their family connection extremely distant, but it also means Miley\u2019s famous godmother happened to be part of her extended family after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly herself appeared surprised when she was told about the discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Millions of younger fans first became aware of the relationship through Hannah Montana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Disney Channel series starred Miley Cyrus as teenager Miley Stewart, who secretly lived a second life as pop superstar Hannah Montana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly appeared several times on the programme playing \u201cAunt Dolly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The character was also Hannah\u2019s godmother, meaning the television relationship closely mirrored Dolly and Miley\u2019s real-life connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly first appeared in the season one episode \u201cGood Golly Miss Dolly\u201d and returned for further appearances including \u201cI Will Always Loathe You\u201d and \u201cKiss It All Goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a generation of Disney Channel viewers, Dolly Parton became almost as recognisable as Aunt Dolly as she was for songs such as \u201cJolene\u201d and \u201c9 to 5.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their connection continued long after Hannah Montana ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Miley moved from Disney star to one of the biggest pop artists in the world, Dolly regularly supported her career while also encouraging her to make her own decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That relationship became particularly important as Miley attempted to establish an identity outside the Hannah Montana character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly repeatedly defended Miley\u2019s right to develop as an artist rather than expecting her to remain the person audiences remembered from Disney Channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miley has similarly described Dolly as far more than just a famous family friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She has spoken about the advice Dolly gave her and the influence Parton had on the way she approached both music and life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes. The pair collaborated numerous times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of their best-known recordings together is \u201cRainbowland\u201d from Miley Cyrus\u2019s 2017 album Younger Now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly also appeared with Miley on the Christmas song \u201cChristmas Is\u201d from Parton\u2019s 2020 album A Holly Dolly Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miley has also become closely associated with Dolly\u2019s classic \u201cJolene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her performance of \u201cJolene\u201d during The Backyard Sessions became one of Miley\u2019s most popular live recordings, and the two later performed the song together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another memorable moment came when Miley and Dolly co-hosted Miley\u2019s New Year\u2019s Eve Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the show, they combined Miley\u2019s \u201cWrecking Ball\u201d with Dolly\u2019s \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d in a performance that highlighted just how closely their musical careers had become connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly also recruited Miley alongside Lainey Wilson, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire for a new version of \u201cLight of a Clear Blue Morning\u201d released around Dolly\u2019s 80th birthday in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite being known as \u201cAunt Dolly,\u201d Dolly Parton was not Miley Cyrus\u2019s aunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The nickname reflected how close she was to the Cyrus family and was later used for her character on Hannah Montana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Technically, the later genealogical discovery means Dolly and Miley were distant cousins rather than aunt and niece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But emotionally, their relationship appears to have been much closer than that distant family connection suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly occupied an unusual position in Miley\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She understood what it was like to become enormously famous while maintaining a distinct public image, but she was also close enough to Miley personally to offer advice away from the pressures of the music industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly had spent decades controlling her songwriting, publishing, businesses and public identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Miley, she offered an example of how an artist could constantly evolve without allowing the entertainment industry to completely define them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their relationship also crossed generations of music fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly emerged as a country star in the 1960s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miley became famous through Disney in the 2000s before transforming into a global pop and rock artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet songs such as \u201cJolene\u201d allowed their audiences to overlap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dolly Parton was Miley Cyrus\u2019s godmother and had been part of her life since before Miley was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What began through Dolly\u2019s friendship with Billy Ray Cyrus developed into a decades-long relationship involving family, television, music and mentorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The later discovery that Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus were also distant cousins only made the story even more remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For millions of Hannah Montana viewers she may have been Aunt Dolly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Miley Cyrus, however, Dolly Parton really was family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Yes, Dolly Parton really was Miley Cyrus\u2019s godmother. Their relationship wasn\u2019t something invented for television or a nickname created by fans. Dolly had known Miley\u2019s family since before the singer was born and became a genuine mentor and family figure throughout Miley Cyrus\u2019s life. And in a surprising twist, researchers later discovered that Dolly and Miley were actually distantly related too. How did Dolly Parton become Miley Cyrus\u2019s godmother? The connection began with Miley Cyrus\u2019s father, Billy Ray Cyrus. Billy Ray became one of country music\u2019s biggest stars following the release of \u201cAchy Breaky Heart\u201d in 1992, and he developed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2173,2195],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-3590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-dolly-parton","tag-miley-cyrus"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n