What Miley Cyrus Has Said About Her Sexuality
Miley Cyrus has known she was attracted to women for a long time. In an August 2020 episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast with Alexandra Cooper, the "Flowers" singer said she's known since she was 11 years old. "I was attracted to girls way before I ever was attracted to guys," she revealed. Later, she commented that women's bodies always appealed to her more than their male counterparts.
Cyrus even said that the first man she ever hooked up with wound up being her now ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth. "Yeah, which I lied and said that he wasn't the first, so I didn't seem like a loser," she dished. "It was a lie that I held on to for like 10 years." Having been in the limelight from a young age, Cyrus' dating life has always magnetized a hefty dose of attention.
She's been linked to a roster of public figures over the years, from Cody Simpson to Kaitlynn Carter. But for the singer, the landscape of sexuality extends far beyond her dating history or marital status. It's fair to say she's swung a wrecking ball at traditional notions of sexuality.
Cyrus identifies as pansexual
In a 2015 chat with Elle, Miley Cyrus discussed her feelings about forced gender norms and how they don't feel applicable to her life. She also acknowledged her pansexuality — one of the first times, if not the first time, she mentioned it on the record. "I'm very open about it — I'm pansexual," she told the outlet. But she noted that identity didn't mean she was ready to settle into a relationship.
The following year, Cyrus explained to Variety that discovering her pansexual identity was a journey that involved visiting with the folks at the LGBTQ center in Los Angeles, California. She told the outlet that upon meeting a gender non-conforming individual for the first time, she understood that neutrality so deeply. "Once I understood my gender more, which was unassigned, then I understood my sexuality more," she explained. "I was like, 'Oh — that's why I don't feel straight and I don't feel gay. It's because I'm not.'"
A few years later, in 2019, Cyrus told Vanity Fair that she believes "people fall in love with people" rather than appearances or gender identity. More than that, she sees herself as part of a movement to do away with the emphasized importance of sexual identity and gender in relationships.
She is out and proud
Since coming out as pansexual and being more comfortable with her sexuality, Miley Cyrus has been rocking her self-confidence like there is no tomorrow. She has even engaged in public campaigns like InstaPride in 2015 to lift other members of the queer community, like gender non-conforming and trans individuals. Even early in her public journey, Cyrus was open about being part of the wider LGBTQIA+ community.
We love to see her thrive in her own skin, too. For example, in March 2019, she posted a photo on Instagram in which she was lying out in the sun totally naked. She captioned the photo: "Festival season is here, I'm queer, and ready to party! [rainbow emojis] lets go summer 2019!"
In 2021, Cyrus even did an hour-long concert special with Peacock entitled "Stand By You." To hype fans up, she posted a promo reel to Instagram rocking a bob and quintessential pink boa, hinting at the glamor that would be her Pride Month special concert. "I've got a lot of guests. A lot of #Pride. AND A LOT OF WARDROBE CHANGES. Don't miss my #MileyPrideSpecial."