Are Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus Related? Inside the Superstars' Wholesome Bond
The love between Dolly and Miley is undeniable, even if they aren't related by blood.
Since the dawn of Miley Cyrus' journey in the entertainment industry, fans have been fascinated by her heartwarming bond with country music legend and industry colleague Dolly Parton.
Between the "9 to 5" singer clocking in for a guest appearance on Hannah Montana and Cyrus' legendary cover of Parton's "Jolene," it's clear that the friendship between the former Coach of The Voice and Parton is forged in love.
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With some years between them, one might wonder how exactly Cyrus and Parton got so close.
Are Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton relatives?
Cyrus is Parton's honorary goddaughter.
"I'm her honorary godmother. I’ve known her since she was a baby,” Parton told Good Morning America in 2009. “Her father’s a friend of mine, and when she was born, he said, ‘You just have to be her godmother,’ and I said, ‘I accept.’ We never did do a big ceremony, but I’m so proud of her, love her. And she’s just like one of my own.”
While Cyrus and Parton are not blood relatives, they do consider each other family.
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“I love Miley,” Parton told the London Evening Standard in 2023. “I worked with her daddy, Billy Ray [Cyrus] when he had 'Achy Breaky Heart,' we toured together for a few years, and, of course, Miley became my goddaughter; I was her fairy godmother. We really have a true bond; she is like a daughter or a sister to me.”
Cyrus echoes the gratitude and often speaks about her love for her fairy godmother. "Dolly’s been like a mother to me. Actually, I was just reading this fax that she sent me two Mother’s Days ago,” Cyrus told W Magazine in June 2024.
“Dolly wrote to me to say: ‘How much do I love you? As much as my heart can hold and as far as my arms can reach,’” Cyrus recounted. “It gets me choked up. I just love her so much.”
Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton's Collaborations
Cyrus first helped Parton connect with a new fanbase of country lovers during the country star's guest appearances as Miley Stewart's Aunt Dolly on Hannah Montana.
Parton spoke about the cosmic coincidence in her 2022 NBC special, Dolly Parton's Magic Mountain Christmas.
"I am really proud of you. I've always been proud of you. And you know the one thing that touches me the most with all of this?" Parton said to her goddaughter, according to The Daily Beast. "When you had me on the Hannah Montana show back years ago, you really helped my career! You introduced me to a whole new set of fans, young ones!"
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Cyrus also showed her love for Parton with her 2012 performance of "Jolene" for her YouTube concert series, Backyard Sessions. The live performance was a hit.
Parton and Cyrus have since collaborated in the studio on several occasions, notably on "Rainbowland" for Cyrus' 2017 album Younger Now.
In 2017, Cyrus added another iconic Parton cover track to her repertoire after appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Dressed to the nines in a spot-on Dolly get-up, Cyrus and Jimmy Fallon recreated Parton and Kenny Rogers' classic 1983 Grammy performance of "Islands in the Stream." Cyrus' impression was a delightfully respectful nod to her larger-than-life godmother.
The two women then broke the internet in 2022 with their lovelorn mashup of Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" and Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which they performed during Cyrus' NBC New Year’s Eve celebration.
Parton then recorded a cover of "Wrecking Ball" for her 2023 rock album, Rockstar.
Cyrus told Rolling Stone in 2020, "I really love Dolly for her character, for what Dolly as a character represents, and that the music is true."
