Podcast Summary: The Interview — Miley Cyrus Told Us to Ask Her Anything [Re-Run]
Host: Lulu Garcia-Navarro
Guest: Miley Cyrus
Date: January 3, 2026
Episode Overview
This special re-run episode of The Interview features a rich, candid conversation between host Lulu Garcia-Navarro and global pop star Miley Cyrus, recorded when Miley was in New York for the Met Gala. With her ninth album, "Something Beautiful," recently released and garnering critical attention, Miley opens up about her career evolution, creativity, family complexities, relationships with fame, therapy, and personal growth. The discussion is intimate, reflective, and full of insight into one of music’s most talked-about artists.
Key Discussion Points
1. The Met Gala, Connections, and Feeling Like a Misfit
[02:57 - 04:04]
- Miley describes the awkwardness of being seated with strangers at events like the Met Gala:
- “I was kind of the misfit, which I'm always okay with. I'm used to that.”
- She recalls vibing with Jon Batiste, who immediately asked about her favorite keys to sing in—“G and C”—demonstrating connection through music.
2. Control, Boundaries, and Self-Parenting
[05:12 - 07:41]
- Miley reflects on how her relationship with interviews and public appearances has changed:
- “Now I learned that I'm in control … The worst that happens is I just leave the room and say, you know, I'll be right back. And then just don't come back.”
- Discusses the mantra: “Don’t run,” and the necessity of facing discomfort while also "mothering" herself:
- “I mother me. My mom no longer travels with me because I’m 33 years old and it was getting ridiculous … I just go, what was it about her that made everything better? And it was safety again.”
3. Music, Recognition, and the Long Road to a Grammy
[08:05 - 12:25]
- Winning her first Grammy for "Flowers" was deeply validating after years of feeling overlooked:
- “I never admitted to myself how much it hurt me to not always be recognized for my work.”
- She talks about challenges in being recognized after her Disney/Hannah Montana era, and how female artists who challenge norms face additional hurdles.
- “Female rebellion has always been something that takes a little while for critics and sophisticated shows to totally take that woman seriously.”
4. Artistic Evolution and Defining “Beautiful”
[12:25 - 14:18]
- Discussing “Something Beautiful”:
- “I wanted to reclaim and reimagine the word beautiful and what it means to me … both birth and death can be equally beautiful.”
5. The Power (and Necessity) of Rage
[14:19 - 16:04]
- Miley and her mother’s tendency to suppress anger and how that impacts health:
- "Rage and anger is something that we should let ourselves feel. But it’s just, you know, keep it to yourself … Use it."
6. Personal Trauma and Therapy
[41:06 - 44:46]
- Miley details her experience with EMDR (trauma therapy):
- “Saved my life. … I saw myself in the womb of my biological grandmother because my mom was adopted … I realized both as a—my mom had a really intense, very dangerous pregnancy with me. So I wasn’t actually handed to my mom, I was handed to my grandma. … I’ve never had stage fright again, ever.”
- Describes carrying forward feelings and intergenerational trauma, “I want them to love me so bad—it wasn’t mine, it was my mom’s. … I do that sometimes.”
7. Family Dynamics and Public Life
[37:32 - 39:41]
- On family drama being played out in public:
- “Everything is so fast. It’s forgotten really quickly. … I mostly hate it for my siblings that have chosen to not be in this industry … but for me, I’ve gotten so used to it.”
- About reconciliation with her father after a period of estrangement:
- “Timing is everything. … As I’ve gotten older, respecting my parents as individuals instead of as parents again … my adult self has caught up.”
8. Relationships with Fame and Other Artists
[25:10 - 35:07]
- On the aftermath of Hannah Montana and being a child star:
- “I think people that grew up in the same position would be really sick to do like a roundtable.”
- Distinguishes her public persona from her private self:
- “Maybe it’s something subconsciously from the show … my famous person has one life, and as a regular person, I have another life.”
- Relationship with her godmother, Dolly Parton:
- “It was just divine and kismet. … She walked in and she just, like, she had on a baby pink robe and, like, smelled like baby powder … we’re not blood, but we’re family, you know, truly.”
9. Sobriety and Generational Differences
[50:29 - 51:42]
- Miley on getting sober primarily to protect her vocal cords, and intergenerational support:
- “I think my dad just didn’t really have the support. … Above all the steps, I think support in sobriety has got to be a top tier of importance.”
10. Ambivalence About Motherhood and the Future
[52:00 - 53:18]
- Expresses openness but a lack of “the burn” for motherhood:
- “Motherhood … has just never been something that I’ve been overly passionate about. … I’ve never felt the burn, and I think for me, the burn is everything.”
11. Winding Down the Pressure of Mainstream Success
[53:41 - 55:03]
- Miley suggests this album cycle may mark a turning point:
- “I think it’s winding down my attachment to mainstream success … It’s potentially the last time I’ll do it exactly this way … I feel like next year for me is going to be kind of this, like, rebirth of how I do things and how I look at my career.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Control in Interviews:
Miley Cyrus (05:14):
“Now I learned that I’m in control, which is probably why I said it to you. Then the worst that happens is I just leave the room and say, you know, I’ll be right back. And then just don’t come back.” - On Winning the Grammy:
Miley Cyrus (08:05):
“I never admitted to myself how much it hurt me to not always be recognized for my work … it was just like an extra layer of that bandage over something that I didn’t even know really hurt me.” - On Overcoming Hannah Montana and Disney Image:
Miley Cyrus (09:12):
“I think from starting from being on Disney, you already have something that you kind of have to overcome, which I’ve never understood needing to overcome Disney or being Hannah Montana, because Hannah Montana was like, a singer.” - Rage and Self-Expression:
Miley Cyrus (14:19):
“Rage and anger is something that we should let ourselves feel. But it’s just, you know, keep it to yourself … Use it.” - Therapy and Trauma:
Miley Cyrus (41:06):
“For me, the first thing that happened was I was guided to seat myself on a train … I saw myself in the womb of my biological grandmother because my mom was adopted. And I heard my mom’s biological parents talking about putting her up for adoption … I think the thing that I had of, I want them to love me so bad, it wasn’t mine, it was my mom’s.” - Public Persona vs. Private Life:
Miley Cyrus (35:07):
“Maybe it’s something, like, subconsciously from the show, like, from Hannah Montana, where I think, like, my famous person has one life, and then, like, as a regular person, I have another life.” - On Dolly Parton:
Miley Cyrus (35:42):
“We’re not blood, but we’re family, you know, truly … she walked in and she just, like, she had on a baby pink robe and, like, smelled like baby powder … I just felt instead of seeing myself, like, retract in, like, awe of her, I just felt myself going forward and just feeling really safe.” - On Family in Public Eye:
Miley Cyrus (37:59):
“Everything is so fast. It’s forgotten really quickly. … If this is the symptom of this is that sometimes we deal with these, you know, embarrassing or difficult, you know, like, public opinions, then that’s something I’m willing to take to have the life that we have.” - On Fame’s Impact on Her Father:
Miley Cyrus (49:21):
“That, I think, has added a level of complexity, you know, within my family, for sure. … But I do think that kind of, you know, love conquered all in that. That sense of he can still find the pride in me.” - Career Changes Ahead:
Miley Cyrus (53:41):
“I feel like this for me is I’m starting to wind down on the pressure and not do it like that again.”
Timestamps for Important Segments
| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |---|---|---| | Introduction/background | Miley’s career arc | 00:30 – 02:25 | | Met Gala, feeling like a misfit | Social settings & friendships | 02:57 – 04:04 | | Setting boundaries, self-parenting | Personal growth | 05:12 – 07:41 | | Grammy win, recognition struggles | Awards & validation | 08:05 – 12:25 | | Artistic evolution, “Something Beautiful” | New album | 12:25 – 14:18 | | Women & rage | Emotional expression | 14:19 – 16:04 | | Trauma, EMDR therapy | Healing journey | 41:06 – 44:46 | | Family drama & public reconciliation | Private vs. public life | 37:32 – 39:41 | | Fame, identity, & child stardom | Navigating celebrity | 25:10 – 35:07 | | Relationship with Dolly Parton | Mentorship & family | 35:42 – 37:32 | | On sobriety | Health & family | 50:29 – 51:42 | | Ambivalence about motherhood | Life choices | 52:00 – 53:18 | | Reflecting on career pressure | Future orientation | 53:41 – 55:03 |
Summary & Takeaways
This conversation reveals Miley Cyrus in a light that’s both reflective and unguarded. She shares how therapy and self-exploration have transformed her relationship to her work, family, and public persona. While pride beams through recent accomplishments, Miley is candid about the emotional cost of fame, the pain and healing inherent in her family story, and her intention to recalibrate her career focus. Listeners gain an intimate perspective on an artist who’s continually redefining herself—and on the universal processes of growth, healing, and making one’s own sense of “something beautiful.”