If Miley Cyrus hadn’t already earned her place on the Disney Channel Mount Rushmore with her Disney Legend Award, her legendary love triangles would cement her legacy.
During the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary special, which hit Disney+ on March 24, the singer revealed that she dated The Suite Life of Zack & Cody star Dylan Sprouse when they were both teenagers on the network. In fact, Cyrus called Sprouse her “boyfriend,” collectively blowing our minds — including Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper, who interviewed her for the special.
When Cooper asked about her biggest Disney crush, Cyrus casually dropped the bomb, stating that she had fully dated Sprouse. “I think maybe it was rumored, but it’s true, confirmed,” she said. “Dylan was my crush. I think he was the cutest.” She also got close to his twin brother, Cole. “Their dad would take us for sushi, and it was a two-for-one,” she joked. “Like, bring the brother. Hello!”
Hilariously, Cyrus would’ve been open to another Disney Channel crossover romance — albeit after leaving the network. “My crush for Zac [Efron] grew,” she said. “High School Musical Zac is not the one I want. I like ripped, a little older.”
Sprouse previously said he dated Cyrus during a 2008 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, but he made it sound much less serious. “We met at her set, I believe, and we dated,” he said, before jokingly adding, “And then Nick Jonas walked by, and it was over.”
Cyrus went on to date Jonas for over a year after meeting him in 2006. She also mentioned their famous romance, telling special guest Chappell Roan that she got the Jonas Brothers to open for her on the Best of Both Worlds Tour so she didn’t have to leave her boyfriend on the road. (Yes, Cyrus gave the JoBros their career, and I stand by that.)
They even had their own version of Aaron Carter’s love triangle with Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan, when Jonas dated fellow Disney Channel star Selena Gomez after splitting from Cyrus. But unlike Duff and LiLo, the debacle didn’t cause a long-lasting feud, aside from some brief “high school nonsense.”
In fact, Gomez surprised Cyrus on the Hannah-versary special to catch up and reflect on her guest-starring role as Hannah’s iconic popstar rival, Mikayla.
That said, even that “nonsense” could’ve been avoided if Cyrus had just stayed with Sprouse instead. Who knew?
