Miley Cyrus got dressed up in her best Hannah Montana drag last night at the premiere for the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special in Los Angeles, and it’s a celebration that both Millennials and Gen Z have been waiting to see for more than a decade. That includes me.

I had every single Hannah book, T-shirt, CD, you name it. Hannah Montana really is an OG drag icon, which makes sense why the 33-year-old Miley is so connected to her given her own relationship with the gays. From the blonde hair and signature bangs to the sparkly ensemble and cropped tee, Miley has fully leaned into the character that made her a beloved star all those years ago.

Miley has come to a place where she is much more open to acknowledging her past like never before. As a fan, it tells me that she’s been able to heal from the obvious traumas that childhood stardom can bring, and now able to reflect on the good experiences from her youth, alongside the other young people whose formative years included her and this character. She is embracing all the memes (including the famous final goodbye) and even turned her Hannah wig into a real-life hairstyle for both the premiere and special. She confirms this to Chappell Roan in the actual special which is available to stream right now. I’m just happy that she chose to go with the longer hair style Hannah look from the first two seasons, because the shorter bob was just not it. Clearly Miley is right there with me on this given that not only has she leaned into the earlier season looks for the anniversary, but she’s even said herself how she hated the later wigs, those bitches are itchy as hell.

The reunion special is a taste of what the fans really have been wanting since Miley declared that Hannah was “dead” back on SNL in 2013, for her to recognize the girl that we all grew up with.

Miley is talking directly to the Gen Z and Millennial fandom of Hannah as well, spending time inside the premiere creating TikToks with various content creators were invited to the event but who also inevitably are Hannah superfans. Some of the guests in attendance included her mother Tish Cyrus, sister Brandi Cyrus, Jojo Siwa, Moises Arias, Jason Earles, Jaden Smith and Willow Smith, as well as some of Hannah Montana’s most famous love interests (Jake Ryan, anyone?).

Miley performs renditions of “Best of Both Worlds” and “This Is The Life” in the special, and treated fans inside the premiere to a speech with a few quips that only Miley could do, and Alex Cooper caught a few hilarious strays. One thing about Miley that has always been an anchor in my own personal fandom for her is her no filter attitude. She is one of the funniest people in showbiz, because calling out Alex Cooper for being an obsessed fan and moving next door to her is ruthless but so genuinely Miley that its almost endearing. It’s all in good fun of course as Alex and Miley have developed a rare camaraderie and Cooper herself has basically been appointed as the Millennial “Hannah stan” representative.

Noticeably absent from the premiere was Miley’s dad Billy Ray Cyrus and her former co-stars Emily Osment and Mitchell Musso, both of whom played her best friends on the show. Miley and Billy have had their share of public issues, but those seem to have diminished as he does make an appearance in the special. Emily on the other hand posts to social media explaining why she missed the premiere but that she is eternally gratefully to the fans and Miley. Meanwhile, Miley’s week of Hannah celebrations isn’t over yet. She is set to receive the Innovator Award during this Thursday’s iHeartRadio Music Awards and even made an appearance on Good Morning America. She’s already shot down talk of a reboot series, but just this moment of celebration is enough nostalgia to get me through this week at least.

Maxx Morando, Miley Cyrus, Tish Cyrus, Dominic Purcell, Brandi Cyrus and Matt Southcombe, Debra O'Connell, President, ABC News Group & Disney Entertainment Networks, The Walt Disney Company and Ayo Davis, President, Disney Branded Television attend the World Premiere of Disney+'s "Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special" at El Capitan Theatre on March 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Shanica Knowles, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Miley Cyrus, Cody Linley, Jason Earles and Moisés Arias, Jojo Siwa, Jaden Smith, Willow Smith attend the World Premiere of Disney+'s "Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special" at El Capitan Theatre on March 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Photo credits: Michael Mattes/AdMedia/MediaPunch/INSTARimages, Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

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