On Sunday evening (Aug. 11), the 2024 Disney Legends Ceremony happened in Anaheim, Calif. and welcomed 14 new members into the celebrated group — together with the youngest but, Miley Cyrus.

Host Ryan Seacrest famous that Cyrus entered the Disney household when she was simply 13 years previous (she is at the moment 31) and shortly took the community — and the world — by storm. A spotlight reel of Cyrus’ history-making profession then performed, which included clips from her 2023 Disney+ particular Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions), memorable scenes from Hannah Montana, early interviews and extra.

As the reel wrapped, a band glided onto the stage fronted by nation celebrity Lainey Wilson. “Miley, you might not know this but I am truly one of your biggest fans. My very first job was taking my portable sound system and a wig…and impersonating Hannah Montana,” she recalled. (Wilson talked in regards to the expertise in her Billboard cowl story). “You inspired me to believe in myself. That I, too, could be an ordinary girl living in an extraordinary world. So on behalf of Hannah Montana fans everywhere, I’d like to dedicate this song to you.”

Wilson then ripped right into a passionate cowl of the Hannah Montana theme track “The Best of Both Worlds.” She even added a little bit of her personal present-day observations on traces like, “You go to movie premiers,” swapping out “is that Orlando Bloom?” for “is that Glen Powell?”

After the efficiency (which Wilson referred to as “a dream come true”), she thanked Cyrus for “never being afraid to step outside the box, always staying true to yourself and most of all for kicking butt, no matter what, girl.”

Cyrus — who was seated alongside her mother Tish within the entrance row, subsequent to different honorees reminiscent of Jamie Lee Curtis, Angela Bassett, Harrison Ford and extra — then walked on stage and pulled Wilson right into a heat hug. As Cyrus stepped as much as the mic, she instructed the group of almost 20,000 followers, “I am definitely going to cry,” which solely warranted an excellent longer and louder and standing ovation.

“Before we get started,” she continued, “I’m going to let everybody in on a little Disney Legends’ secret — I’m the one that tells you what you’re not supposed to know. And what I want to say is that legends get scared too. I’m scared right now…It’s legendary to be afraid and do it anyway. There’s no such thing as failure when you try.”

Cyrus then unveiled two totally different speeches she ready: “One long, if I’m the badass I’m supposed to be. And one short, if I get scared.” (Her speech spanned simply over 5 minutes; evidently, she selected the badass route.)

“In 2005, Disney was on a mission to rebuild and reimagine the company — that’s why they hired [Disney CEO] Bob Iger and me,” she stated with a chuckle, incomes an enormous giggle from the viewers. She then recalled the “buzz” within the Burbank workplace the place she auditioned for the function of Hannah Montana a few years in the past — the identical workplace the place, as she joked, “it’s rumored they create all of us Disney kids…I definitely wasn’t created in a lab, but if I was, there must’ve been a bug in the system which caused me to malfunction somewhere between the years of 2013-16.”

Joking apart, Cyrus then detailed a a lot earlier period in her storied life when she moved from Nashville to Los Angeles to begin her profession. After sharing how she received the a part of Hannah Montana, she recalled her first efficiency because the fictional star, which happened at no cost at the Glendale Galleria. “The first song I opened with was titled ‘This Is The Life,’” she stated. “Which of course, no one knew. Because in reality I was a little girl in a blonde wig at the mall with a big dream. But in my heart, I was Hannah Montana. And I was so proud to be her.”

“A little bit of everything has changed since that day, but at the same time, nothing has changed at all. I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana. Because she made Miley in so many ways. This award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans and to everyone who has made my dream a reality. To quote the legend herself: ‘This is the life.’”