Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose (born Johanna Hodges) have settled their divorce, according to a statement from the country star’s lawyers posted on his Instagram Monday (Aug. 5).
The message from attorneys Rose Palermo and Jason Talley states that the settlement was reached on Friday (Aug. 2) and that the ex-couple was declared legally separated three days later. “Mr. Cyrus is relieved to put this nightmare behind him,” it reads. “Further, a couple of weeks ago, prior to mediation, Ms. Hodges legally changed her last name from ‘Hodges’ to ‘Cyrus.’ Mr Cyrus feels that this validates his assertion that his ex-wife’s sole impetus for marrying him was to obtain his last name.”
The post also included a statement directly from the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer. “I’m just very relieved,” he wrote. “This has been absolutely the most crazy insane scam I have ever heard of … Not only was it a web of lies that put me in physical danger … it was a matter of the heart. Love is blind … that’s for sure.”
Trending on Billboard
A source close to Firerose countered in a statement shared with Billboard: “If this went to trial, Firerose and her team would have provided a significant amount of evidence to prove he fabricated a narrative that would benefit his public image. There is no doubt she would have been awarded the divorce, but it was much more important to her that this continuous smear campaign end, and the emotional turmoil stop so she can close the door on this chapter and recover from her surgery peacefully.”
The source also said that the Australian singer chose to settle for $0, wanting to end her association with Cyrus once and for all. They added that Firerose filed for Cyrus’ last name shortly after they wed — not a couple of weeks ago, as the Hannah Montana star claimed.
Cyrus filed for divorce on May 22, citing “irreconcilable differences” and “inappropriate marital conduct” seven months after the couple married. In a follow-up filing on June 13, Cyrus requested an emergency motion accusing Firerose of making nearly $100,000 in unauthorized “fraudulent” credit card charges while seeking a temporary restraining order to stop her, accusations her attorneys labeled “untrue.”
After Cyrus’ divorce filing, Firerose accused him of domestic abuse, saying he was psychologically abusive during their marriage and calling the country star “unpredictable and volatile” due to alleged substance abuse. She also claimed that he filed for divorce one day before she was scheduled to have a preventative double mastectomy. In a statement shared with Billboard, Cyrus’ lawyers “vehemently” denied the allegations and said that while he was “certainly vocal, frustrated and angry … it is the plaintiff who, in fact, has been abused. Not only verbally and emotionally by the defendant, but PHYSICALLY.”
The source close to Firerose, however, claims that in a former marital dissolution agreement, Cyrus had included a clause asking her to say she was lying about having BRCA, a.k.a. the “breast cancer” gene. The source claims it was thrown out after Firerose provided her test results and medical records proving otherwise, adding that her surgery is set for later this month.
In July, a 90-second audio clip of Cyrus berating Firerose for apparently making him late to a function leaked online. “Of course, she was intentionally on her best behavior since she knew the recording was being made,” Cyrus’ attorneys responded to the leak in a statement shared with Billboard. “If Mr. Cyrus was truly the person that Ms. Hodges desires the court of public opinion to believe with the release of her one-sided recording, then it is mindboggling to try and explain why Ms. Hodges begged to return to live with him and for Mr. Cyrus to give her a chance to ‘explain everything’ after he filed to annul or dissolve their marriage.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
