Billy Ray Cyrus Accuses Firerose of “Fraudulent Charges” & Seeks Restraining Order
Billy Ray Cyrus is blaming his estranged wife for his rumored family turmoil.
The country star—who recently filed for divorce from singer Firerose—accused her of isolating him from his family, as well as fraudulently leading him into marriage and lying about her identity, in court documents obtained by E! News June 18.
“Since the Plaintiff filed his initial complaint, he discovered that the Defendant had been conducting a campaign to isolate the Plaintiff from his family,” reads his June 17 motion to file amended complaint. “He has discovered that the Defendant, unknowingly to Plaintiff, blocked at least one (1) of his daughters from being able to contact him on his phone(s) or electronic devices.”
Billy Ray—who shares daughters Miley Cyrus, 31, and Noah Cyrus, 24, with ex Tish Cyrus—has sparked rumors of estrangement from his children in recent months, after Miley left him out of her Grammys acceptance speech in February and said in a June TV special she inherited “narcissism” from him. (They have not publicly addressed where they stand.)
In his new filing, Billy Ray also alleged that Firerose (real name Johanna Rosie Hodges) lied about her identity by falsely saying “Hodges” was her maiden name and that she had never been married prior to their romance.
“During this time the Defendant repeatedly asserted that the Plaintiff was her soulmate,” the motion read, “and that the Defendant wanted Plaintiff to be her one and only Husband.”
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However, Billy Ray said he learned in May 2024 that Firerose’s doctor was “having a hard time understanding” what her last name was, and he additionally overheard her refer to herself “with a last name that he did not know” while on the phone with the IRS.
“When Plaintiff inquired why the Doctor and the IRS were confused about what her last name was,” his filing read, “Defendant became angry and stated that it was personal and none of Plaintiff’s business.”
Instagram/Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray’s legal team eventually obtained a 2014 California Divorce Judgment that allegedly revealed Firerose’s past marriage and that Hodges was actually her ex-husband’s last name—a revelation that had the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer in “such disbelief.”
The 62-year-old then began the process of seeking an annulment, accusing Firerose, 36, of “knowingly, willfully and intentionally” committing fraud “with the sole intention of inducing Plaintiff into a marriage to obtain the name ‘Cyrus’ under the belief that it would help her fledgling music career,” according to the motion filed by his attorneys.
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Billy Ray said he was initially hesitant to specify these allegations in his original complaint “out of kindness” toward Firerose.
“He was hoping to save the Defendant from personal embarrassment and shame,” his latest filing stated. “Furthermore, Plaintiff is aware that the Defendant has been attempting to obtain her U.S. Citizenship for several years and Plaintiff was concerned how it would impact her application for citizenship since she may have provided false information to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.”
E! News has reached out to Firerose’s lawyer for comment on Billy Ray’s new filing but has not heard back.
Read on for more insight into the Cyrus family.
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How the Cyrus Family Started
Billy Ray Cyrus married Tish Cyrus (née Leticia Finley) on Dec. 28, 2003.
At the time they already shared 12-month-old daughter Destiny Hope Cyrus—you may know her as Miley Cyrus now—and Tish was pregnant with their son Braison Cyrus, who was born May 9, 1994.
Seven months before Miley was born on Nov. 23, 1992, Billy Ray’s ex-girlfriend Kristin Luckey gave birth to their son Christopher Cody Cyrus on April 8.
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When the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer married Tish, he adopted her daughter Brandi Cyrus (born May 26, 1987) and son Trace Cyrus (Feb. 24, 1989), whose biological father is their mom’s ex-husband Baxter Helson.
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Trish and Billy Ray’s youngest, daughter Noah Cyrus, was born Jan. 8, 2000.
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Father-Daughter Stardom
From 2006 to 2010, Billy Ray played the father of Miley’s normal-kid-who-moonlights-as-a-pop-star character in the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana and a 2009 film adaptation.
While the Cyrus family was still based in Nashville, Billy Ray and Miley made the move to L.A. to jumpstart her own entertainment career.
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Where There’s Smoke…
Billy Ray and Tish announced in October 2010 that they were getting divorced, but by the following year were back together.
They filed for divorce again in June 2013 but reconsidered barely a month later, telling E! News at the time that they’d been to couple’s counseling and it had done wonders for them.
But before they reconciled, when the news broke that her dad had made the first move in a Nashville court to end his marriage after 19 years, Miley tweeted, “@billyraycyrus since your text and email obviously aren’t working would you like to talk like this?”
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Miley Starts Over
After a decade of being together off and on, and in the wake of losing their Malibu home in a fire, Miley and her The Last Song co-star Liam Hemsworth married in December 2018.
The decision came “from a place of trauma and just trying to rebuild as quickly as we could,” Miley recalled on her “Used to Be Young” TikTok series.
But Liam filed for divorce in August 2019 and they finalized the paperwork in January 2020.
“It’s honestly very simple,” a source told E! at the time. “They fell in love when they were young and they are just different people now.”
Instagram/Trace Cyrus
The Family Tree Keeps Growing
Tish and Billy Ray became grandparents in 2021 when their son Braison and his wife Stella welcomed son Bear Chance Cyrus on June 8.
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Billy Ray and Tish Split Up for Good
Tish filed for divorce fo a third time in April 2022, and this time it stuck.
Moreover, her petition citing “irreconcilable differences” noted that she and her husband of almost 30 years hadn’t lived together since February 2020.
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“It is after 30 years, five amazing children and a lifetime of memories, we have decided to go our separate ways—not with sadness, but with love in our hearts,” Tish and Billy Ray told People in a statement. “We have grown up together, raised a family we can be so proud of, and it is now time to create our own paths.”
The exes noted that they hadn’t come to the decision to split up for good “lightly or quickly,” adding, “We will always be family and look forward to a continued and loving shared experience as friends and parents.”
Billy Ray Cyrus Moves on With Firerose
Billy Ray quietly got engaged to Australian singer Firerose, who’s 27 years his junior, in August 2022 but waited to confirm the news until that November.
“Growing up in Australia, my love of music was predominant over everything,” Firerose told People. “I’ve known his music since forever.”
What started as a friendship turned into more during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All of the sudden, the life that I’ve always known as a touring artist didn’t exist anymore,” Billy Ray said. “A moment of so much change. And at the same time, Firerose, who had been such a light of positivity, such a best friend. And then when we began sharing the music, it just evolved more into, as musical soulmates, to soulmates, happy, pure love that to me, I didn’t know could exist.”
Tish Cyrus Finds Love With Dominic Purcell
Around the time her ex-husband confirmed his engagment in November 2022, Tish went Instagram-official with Prison Break actor Dominic Purcell.
They got engaged in April 2023 and tied the knot that August in Malibu at sunset with Miley, Trace and Brandi all standing by their mom’s side.
“Life is unpredictable & always full of changes,” Trace captioned a photo of himself and two of his sibling with the bride. “I think the most important thing to do is cherish the past, look forward to the future, & always be happy in the present moment because that’s really all we have.”
Miley Weighs in on Her Mom’s Love Life
“To see my mom this happy and in love is very emotional for me,” Miley told Vogue last summer ahead of her mom’s wedding. “Dom and my mom share the sweetest, most genuine love. It’s almost like it’s for the first time, which is so fitting for my mom who is such a young soul.”
Instagram/Billy Ray Cyrus
As for her dad’s next chapter, however, a source close to Miley told E! News in October 2022 that she wasn’t in love with it and didn’t have a relationship with her future stepmom.
“The divorce between her parents put a strain on her relationship with her dad and it’s been hard to connect with him in the last year,” the source said. “She hopes they can eventually work on their relationship.”
Billy Ray told People that November, however, that his family had “no hard feelings” about his engagement.
“Everybody’s turning the page,” he said. “It’s been a lot, but everyone knew that it was time for a change.”
He and Firerose got married on Oct. 10, 2023, calling it the “beautiful, joyous day that our two souls united as one in holy matrimony.”
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Only Some of Miley’s Family Get Their Flowers
Whatever rift opened up between Miley and her dad apparently hadn’t been repaired by the night of the 2024 Grammys on Feb. 4.
Tish and Brandi were there, as was Miley’s boyfriend Maxx Morando, and they all got shout-outs when the “Flowers” singer won Record of the Year.
As Miley concluded her speech, “I don’t think I forgot anyone.”
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Wait, What?
None of the three officially confirmed or denied eyebrow-raising reports that Noah was involved with Dominic before her mother was, but the Grammy-nominated singer had some choice words for an Instagram commenter in April 2024 after the person crudely suggested that Noah and Tish both had “sexy time” with the actor.
“I’m so sorry but will you pleeeeeass just choke on the fattest c–k,” Noah wrote in response. “Just for a lil bit. Great thanks.”
Instagram/Firerose
Billy Ray Cyrus Moves on From Firerose
Barely eight months after they tied the knot, Billy Ray filed to annul the union, alleging in court documents the marriage was “obtained by fraud.”
He listed May 22 as their date of separation.
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