Billy Ray Cyrus Serenades Ex-Wife Tish With Their Shared Past

Sometimes the most meaningful gestures come wrapped in nostalgia. Country star Billy Ray Cyrus gave ex-wife Tish Cyrus a public birthday tribute on Wednesday that proves some bonds—and the songs that define them—transcend divorce papers.

Instead of a typical social media shoutout, Billy Ray posted a performance clip of his 2007 ballad“Ready, Set, Don’t Go,”the emotional father-daughter anthem that became a cornerstone of the Cyrus family story. The song wasn’t just inspired by watching Miley Cyrus chase her Disney dreams; it was born from watching Tish drive their daughter down that driveway toward Los Angeles, toward stardom, toward a future that meant leaving home. Billy Ray wrote it as a father grappling with the bittersweet reality of letting go.

In his caption, he connected the dots deliberately: a dedication to Hannah Montana Nation and everyone at Disney, paired with the lyric that captures the whole feeling—”Got stars in her eyes, the prize is hers to win.”Then came the warmer note: wishing Tish“peace, love, and happiness…forever,”while also honoring his late mother Ruthie, whose birthday falls around the same time.

There’s something quietly powerful about this. Billy Ray and Tish were married for nearly 28 years before officially divorcing in 2022. They raised five children together, navigated the turbulent waters of fame, and yes, they had their share of drama—multiple divorce filings before they finally split for good. Since then, life has moved on. Tish married actor Dominic Purcell. Billy Ray remarried singer Firerose in 2023, though that union ended in a messy divorce finalized in 2024.

Yet here he is, not dwelling on the breakup, but choosing to celebrate the woman who stood beside him through one of the defining chapters of their lives.“Ready, Set, Don’t Go”hit even harder when Miley joined him for a father-daughter duet, turning personal struggle into something universal—the ache of watching your child become their own person. Whatever happened between Billy Ray and Tish after that driveway moment, the song remains.

That’s the thing about great music: it doesn’t belong to the moment that birthed it. It belongs to everyone who lived through it. And sometimes, the best way to honor those we’ve loved is to remember the soundtrack that made it real.