Miley Cyrus, now 32, is known for reinventing herself—from her early days as a Disney star to becoming a global pop icon. On the Every Single Album podcast, she looked back on a turbulent period of her life. She spoke honestly about drug use and the chaos surrounding the creation of her 2015 experimental album, Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz. “The drugs were the biggest cost,” she admitted. “Which, to hide those from my accountant, we called them vintage clothes.”
Drugs Disguised as Fashion Purchases
Cyrus revealed how she hid her spending on drugs. She explained how her accountant would question certain expenses from her tour days.
“She [the accountant] would get these checks. That happens on touring all the time,” Miley said. “And every time she saw me, she’d be like, ‘Where’s that, like, $15,000 original John Lennon T-shirt that you bought?’ And I’d say, ‘Oh, it’s upstairs.’”
Cyrus continued jokingly, “We just really want to protect it. It’s really delicate. The fabric…got to take care of it! So I bought a lot of vintage clothes that year.” In truth, “vintage clothes” was a code phrase for her drug use.
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Grateful for Survival
Looking back, Cyrus feels thankful she made it through.
“I’m so glad I survived that time in my life,” she said. “I would definitely not encourage anyone else to go this hard, but the fact that I got through it… I’m very glad I got to do it.”
She now leads a sober lifestyle. In a 2017 Billboard interview, she called herself “evolving” after quitting marijuana. She has remained sober since 2019, except for a brief relapse during the pandemic.
These days, sobriety remains a priority. “That’s like my God. I need it,” she said.
Emotional Return to Her Disney Roots
Recently, Cyrus performed one of her most iconic songs, The Climb, from Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009). The emotional performance moved fans to tears. She also joked that her boyfriend, drummer Maxx Morando, had been waiting since middle school for a chance to play that song with her.
