It has been over 20 years since the premiere of the hit children’s sitcom Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel. The show became an instant hit and established not just the channel’s power to create must-see television but also its ability to propel its lead, Miley Cyrus, as an international star in both music and acting. However, with its ending in 2011, the franchise has lain dormant for quite some time, with most of its cast moving on to other endeavors. The series has remained in the hearts of its fans ever since and as 2026 marked twenty years since the show’s start, many fans hoped for something from either the stars or Disney itself to celebrate the occasion. That soon came with the announcement of the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.
The speculation of the special started all the way back in 2023 when Cyrus reunited with Disney for the first time since the show’s ending for a documentary on her at the time of her latest album, Endless Summer Vacation. Since then, she has partnered with the company on several other occasions and was even presented with the Disney Legend award in 2024. Cyrus started teasing the special herself last year, while promoting her new single for the film, Avatar Fire & Ash. This was revealed in the special as her own way of getting the project greenlit by the Disney Company itself.
The special was released on Disney+ just this month, on March 24th, exactly twenty years since the premiere of the show itself. The special was presented as a documentary with segments of Cyrus performing songs from the show interjected throughout. Here, Cyrus arrived in the iconic blonde hair and bangs that the character of Hannah is known for as she stepped onto a reconstructed version of the set for her on-screen home. She was joined by podcast host Alex Cooper, who hosted the interview portions with Cyrus. There were also special guests scoured throughout the event, with stars who were on the show, such as Billy Ray Cyrus and Selena Gomez, making appearances. As well as appearances from pop star Chappel Roan and Cyrus’ mother, Tish Cyrus.
Potentially one of the most anticipated parts of the anniversary was watching Cyrus perform several of the songs from the series. In a concert filmed earlier this year. Here she performed the show’s theme song, Best of Both Worlds. As well as hit songs like The Climb and This is the Life. The star also came out with a new single to end the night titled, Younger You.
The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special was a highly anticipated event that drew hundreds of fans. It displayed the lasting longevity of the series and its place in fans’ hearts even after all these years since its ending.
