Dolly Parton ‘saved Miley Cyrus from drug death’

Cyrus has also spoken publicly about how Parton’s personality and outlook shaped her own approach to life and mistakes.

She said: “One thing about her though is that she’s not afraid to laugh at herself, and that’s something I think she tried to instill in me.”

Cyrus added, “Not everything has to be serious; it’s okay to laugh at yourself.”

In June 2025, Cyrus also revealed details about the extent of her drug use before she got sober, explaining how she once hid drug spending by telling her accountant she was buying vintage clothes.

She said, “We called (the drugs) ‘vintage clothing’ and every time (my accountant) saw me she said, ‘Where’s that original $15,000 John Lennon T-shirt you bought?'”

“It’s like, ‘Oh, it’s upstairs.'” Cyrus joked, “So I bought a lot of vintage clothes that year.”

As she reflected more seriously on that period of her life, Cyrus acknowledged the intensity of her past behavior and expressed her gratitude that she had gotten through it.

She said: “I certainly wouldn’t encourage anyone else to go that hard. But the fact that I got through it. I’m very happy that I got to do it.”