Reaching My Breaking Point

Billy Ray Cyrus has broken his silence following the release of a leaked audio recording in which he can be heard angrily scolding his estranged wife, Firerose, whose real name is Johanna Rosie Hodges.

In a statement provided to ET, Billy Ray’s divorce attorneys, Rose Palermo and Jason Talley of Cheatham Palermo and Garrett, alleged that Firerose was responsible for leaking the audio to the Daily Mail.

“On behalf of our client, Billy Ray Cyrus, we wish to respond to Ms. Hodges’ recent release to the press in an apparent last-ditch effort to squeeze money out of Mr. Cyrus ahead of our court-ordered mediation scheduled for next week,” the lawyers said. “As we previously stated and released back in June, we regret that Ms. Hodges has chosen to litigate this 7-month marriage in the press and has left Mr. Cyrus with no recourse but to set the record straight, once again.”

The attorneys further mentioned that Billy Ray had admitted in a court filing to being vocally frustrated and angry with Firerose during their seven-month marriage as he started uncovering her true motives for marrying him.

The lawyers also claimed that Firerose recorded the conversation without Billy Ray’s knowledge. “She was intentionally on her best behavior since she knew the recording was being made,” they alleged. “If Mr. Cyrus was truly the person that Ms. Hodges desires the court of public opinion to believe with the release of her one-sided recording, then it is mindboggling to try and explain why Ms. Hodges begged to return to live with him and for Mr. Cyrus to give her a chance to ‘explain everything’ after he filed to annul or dissolve their marriage.”

The statement closed with a strong assertion that Firerose is attempting to litigate her case in the media for personal gain, allegedly trying to harm Billy Ray’s career as she had promised to do if he sought a divorce. According to the lawyers, Billy Ray has more material to present in court to demonstrate Firerose’s alleged false statements throughout the proceedings.

Billy Ray also expressed his frustration on Instagram, stating, “Hell yeah I was at my wit’s end. As every day went by, I started realizing something was wrong.” He added, “She was trying to take over my career, my life and usurp the Cyrus name for her own gain. See you in court.”

In the leaked audio, obtained by the Daily Mail, Billy Ray is purportedly heard berating Firerose, saying, “I don’t think you’re real smart, I’ve changed my mind on that s**t. What I think you are is a selfish f***ing b**ch. That’s what you are.”

Billy Ray filed for divorce from Firerose in May after less than a year of marriage. The court documents cited “irreconcilable differences” and “inappropriate marital conduct” as reasons for the dissolution. He also mentioned “consent to Marriage was obtained by Fraud” under grounds for annulment.

Following the filing, Firerose accused Billy Ray of domestic abuse, to which he retaliated in court documents, claiming she was the physical, emotional, and verbal abuser.

In the midst of the divorce, a judge ruled this month that Firerose has “no legitimate reason” to “have access to and to make any additional charges” on Billy Ray’s credit cards after he claimed in court that she spent over $96,000 of his money following the divorce filing.

Billy Ray, 62, and Firerose, 36, tied the knot on October 10, 2023, in Franklin, Tennessee. They first met on the set of Hannah Montana and later became musical collaborators, eventually getting engaged in August 2022.

Before Firerose, Billy Ray was married to Cindy Smith from 1986 to 1991 and then to Tish. He and Tish got married in December 1993 and divorced in April 2022 after nearly three decades of marriage. They share three children: Miley, 31, Braison, 30, and Noah, 24. Billy Ray also adopted Tish’s children, Brandi, 37, and Trace, 35.

Source: ET Online, Daily Mail