Feb 16, 2011 09:42 GMT  ·  By
Billy Ray Cyrus blasts Disney in new interview, says daughter Miley is “train wreck” happening
   Billy Ray Cyrus blasts Disney in new interview, says daughter Miley is “train wreck” happening

After the shock announcement that he and wife of 17 years Tish were getting a divorce, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus’ father, stepped out of the spotlight. For the first time since then, he’s speaking out in a new interview with GQ – and he’s holding nothing back.

In a lengthy piece with GQ, Cyrus talks everything from the shock of the divorce, losing his daughter Miley to the Disney star-making machine, being cheated out of a lot of money by the network and how “Hannah Montana” ruined everything that was good in his life.

This is officially the first time that Billy Ray takes a stand against Disney and points fingers at those he holds accountable for the many scandals in Miley’s life.

Of course, that’s not to say that he considers himself guilt-free. He now knows that he should have tried to be more of a parent and less of a friend to Miley, but he still believes that it all started with the day she was offered the lead in the insanely popular television series.

“Oh, it’s huge – it destroyed my family. I’ll tell you right now – the damn show destroyed my family. It’s all sad,” he says when asked of the impact “Hannah Montana” had on his family.

If he were given the chance to do it all over again or just say no, he’d probably say no, knowing what he knows today, Billy Ray stresses.

He didn’t even make that much money from it: “peanuts” if compared to the millions Disney made off Miley, off exploiting his daughter and ruining her life.

“I knew I was working for peanuts. I’m not the smartest man in the world, but I know the difference. I went from $12,000 a week to, after four years and the millions that they make, $15,000 a week. Hell, yeah,” he says.

As for Miley, Billy Ray regrets he didn’t put his foot down when he had the chance. Now, she’s just a cog in the huge Disney machine, surrounded by handlers that only want to make a profit off her regardless of how that affects her personal life.

“Honestly, I didn’t know the ball was out of bounds until it was way up in the stands somewhere. […] It’s my daughter. And some of these handlers are perhaps more interested in handling Miley’s money than her safety and her career,” he says.

He even compares Miley to the likes of Kurt Cobain, Anna Nicole Smith and Michael Jackson in the sense that “you could see that train wreck coming” and, still, no one interfered to lend them a hand.

For the full interview, please refer here.