Miley Cyrus Makes History: Youngest-Ever Disney Legend At D23
Miley Cyrus snagged her first-ever Grammy this year, and now she’s added another title to her list: Disney Legend.
At a star-studded ceremony, which took place Sunday night at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Cyrus was honored alongside a stellar lineup, including costume designer Colleen Atwood, Angela Bassett, Disney Parks cast member Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marvel comic artist Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, animator Mark Henn, Frank Oz, Kelly Ripa, Imagineer Joe Rohde, and John Williams.
Every two years, The Walt Disney Company inducts a new class of Disney Legends, celebrating individuals who have made a significant impact on the Disney legacy. Past honorees include icons like Christina Aguilera, Stan Lee, Betty White, and Oprah Winfrey.
Lainey Wilson hit the stage to introduce Cyrus, delivering a spirited performance of the “Hannah Montana” classic “The Best of Both Worlds.” Afterward, she shared a heartfelt message with Miley saying “Miley, I want to thank you for never being afraid to step outside the box, always staying true to yourself, and most importantly, always kicking butt.”
As Cyrus took the mic, she let the crowd in on a little Disney Legend secret saying “I’m the one that tells you what you’re not supposed to know. And what I want to say is that legends get scared, too. I’m scared right now, but the difference is we do it anyway, and all of you can do that every single day. It’s legendary to be afraid and do it anyway. There is no such thing as failure when you try,” she said, wiping away tears.
Cyrus made her debut as Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel back in 2006. According to Forbes, the four-season, 98-episode series pulled in an average of 4.4 million viewers per episode. Hannah Montana wrapped up its run in 2011.
Following her breakout season, Miley headlined the Best of Both Worlds Tour in 2007, raking in $54 million in ticket sales. In 2009, she starred in Hannah Montana: The Movie, where the hit song “The Climb” made its debut. The movie pulled in $155.5 million.
Business Insider reported in 2010 that Miley made Disney $1 billion since Hannah Montana launched in 2006. When she was ready, she bid farewell to Disney Channel and the clean-cut Miley Cyrus persona in 2011, emerging as a new version of herself, unafraid to break the mold.
