Why Jada Pinkett Smith Warned Miley Cyrus About Her Engagement To Liam Hemsworth
Miley Cyrus, millennial icon and hitmaker extraordinaire, has made headlines almost as much for her love life as for her music. The former Disney Channel star met her future husband, Liam Hemsworth, on the set of "The Last Song" when she was 16 years old, per Cosmopolitan. Just as their onscreen characters found love together, so too did Cyrus and Hemsworth embark on a tumultuous relationship that endured its fair share of bumps along the road. The pair announced their engagement in 2012 but broke up in 2013, only to rekindle their romance and engagement in 2016, as per Elle. One surprise wedding later, the actor and the "Mother's Daughter" singer broke up for good, citing a mutual decision that the split was best for both themselves and their respective careers (via People).
But the breakup didn't exactly come as a shock to those close to the rollercoaster couple. "After they reunited, everyone thought they were this 'perfect' couple, but they still had a lot of issues," an insider told People. "They're not on the same page when it comes to a lot of fundamental things that make a relationship work. It's not surprising at all." Whether it was Cyrus' fear of being tied to one person forever, or the couple's co-dependent tendencies in their relationship, there were plenty of red flags hinting that all was not well in "Malibu." In fact, there was one person who even warned Cyrus about her engagement to Hemsworth early on.
Jada Pinkett Smith advised Miley Cyrus on the effects of change
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth met when they were teenagers, before the pressures of fame completely set in. Cyrus was struggling to break free of her squeaky clean Disney Channel image, while Aussie native Hemsworth was struggling to establish himself as an actor stateside. And while fame can be challenging, the inconsistencies of youth can also sabotage any romance. As someone familiar with the roadblocks of young love, Jada Pinkett Smith shared her own advice for Cyrus way back in 2012. "Learn how to be friends, especially when you are starting that young," Will Smith's wife said (via People). "Forever is a long time. When you are starting forever at 19 years old ... what it is now and what it will be ... is just going to continue to transform and change." Pinkett Smith added that Cyrus could expect lots of transitional change in her relationship and that the most important thing was "[being] with someone you consider as a friend."
Cyrus did refer to Hemsworth as her "best friend" in a 2009 interview with Seventeen (via MTV), but it seems like things shifted over the years, as Pinkett Smith predicted. After the emotional release of her 2017 single "Malibu," Cyrus explained how change played an important role in her breakup with Hemsworth. "I needed to change so much. And changing with someone else who's not changing like that is too hard. Suddenly you're like, 'I don't recognize you anymore,'" she told Billboard.
Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus have moved on since their divorce
Perhaps there was too much change for Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth to make things work. Since the pair divorced, Hemsworth moved on with model Gabrielle Brooks, while Cyrus coupled up with Cody Simpson, though they've since split. According to Hemsworth, he and Brooks share several commonalities. "He feels more at home with Gabriella than he did with Miley and he feels like he can be his complete self without any drama," a source told Us Weekly. "Gabriella helped Liam boost his confidence and played an encouraging role in his life after his split with Miley. They are very happy together and it's comfortable and easy."
While Cyrus has been open about her breakup with Hemsworth — even going so far as to call her marriage a "f***ing disaster" in March — her ex has been rather tight-lipped. In 2019, he announced the split on his Instagram, calling it a "private matter." "I have not made, nor will I be making, any comments to journalists or media outlets. Any reported quotes attributed to me are false," he wrote. Hemsworth also appears unbothered by Cyrus' frequent comments to the media. When the "Wrecking Ball" singer told Howard Stern of the conflict in their relationship, Hemsworth didn't comment further. "He has moved on now and is happy with Gabriella," a source told Entertainment Tonight. Though Hemsworth's marriage to Cyrus was full of transition, he seems to be experiencing stability with Brooks.