Country Music Icon's Ex Left 'Devastated' Following Shocking Split
In April 2022, Tish Cyrus filed for divorce from country music superstar, Billy Ray Cyrus. At the time, the former couple-who have five kids together-had been married for more than two decades.
On the May 7 episode of the Dear Chelsea podcast, Tish opened up about her split from Billy Ray.
"I didn't ever really think I would get a divorce. That was not in the cards at all for me," Tish said. "And you know, that happened. And so I literally just, I love love. And one of my friends at the time, I was devastated. I'd been married for so long since I was like 24 years old. So I didn't know anything different."
Tish said she was in "shock mode" and felt blindsided by the split. "I don't know where I was at," she added.
It's no secret that Billy Ray and Tish had ups and downs throughout their marriage. In fact, Billy Ray filed for divorce in 2010, but he eventually withdrew his petition. Three years later, Tish filed for divorce, but the two ended up working things out.
Tish has spoken about her split from the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer in the past, often admitting that she never thought divorce was in the cards for her.
"I never wanted to be divorced," Tish said on the Nov. 25 episode of the Sibling Revelry podcast. "For us, you're in the public eye and the world that we exist in is already so odd and at some times unstable. I wanted to make it work-probably for a little too long-like, for my own mental health," she continued, adding, "There became a point that, like, I didn't have a choice."
The exact reasons behind Tish and Billy Ray's split aren't known, but the two had been living separately for years at the time of the filing. According to People magazine, Tish cited "irreconcilable differences" in court documents.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 9:30 AM.