Miley Cyrus on Backlash After Hannah Montana: 'I Didn't Realize How Harsh It Was'

Miley Cyrus says she learned, the hard way, just how harsh people could be when she left "Hannah Montana."

In a preview for her CBS Sunday Morning interview airing Oct. 5, the 32‑year-old singer opened up about harsh criticism she faced from fans and critics during her shift from child star to adult artist.

"I was the first person to maybe ever be canceled, I guess," Cyrus says in the clip shared on CBS's Instagram. "I didn't know until I was older, actually, how brutal it really was."

Cyrus first became famous as Miley Stewart on "Hannah Montana," which ran from 2006 to 2011. She was only 13 at the start.

After the show ended, she embraced a bold, more mature image with albums like Can't Be Tamed and Bangerz, the latter landing at number one on the charts.

According to EntertainmentWeekly, despite the backlash, Cyrus says she enjoyed that period. "It was very challenging for other people, but for me it was a good time," she says.

"It looked fun and it was fun. It wasn't until I was older that I realized how harsh..."

She also reflected on how she views that time now from her current place in life. "I would never now, being where I am, ever look at someone in their 20s from the view of who I am now," Cyrus says. "But at the time, it was awesome."

Miley Cyrus Opens Up About Post-Disney Backlash

Some online commenters on the clip reminded Cyrus (and viewers) that many female stars before her also faced savage public judgment.

One fan wrote, "I love you Miley forever, but we all know Madonna was the first and most canceled person ever in the music industry." Another added, "Britney Spears would definitely disagree," Billboard reported.

Cyrus is expected to discuss more of her life story in the upcoming interview, including her path to sobriety, family experiences, and her upcoming album Something Beautiful.

This isn't the first time she's revisited her controversial years. In a June interview on the "Reclaiming" podcast with Monica Lewinsky, she called the backlash during her Bangerz era intense and embarrassing.

"That was the time where I just got hit so hard, and I was so embarrassed," she said. She also recalled a time when her siblings felt embarrassed to go to school because of how she was talked about publicly.

Tags

Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana