--- title: Miley Cyrus Says She Was Paid Least on Hannah Montana By Disney description: Cyrus may have starred in 'Hannah Montana,' but the famously unfiltered star says she wasn't raking in the big bucks for her namesake role. canonical: https://time.com/4511928/miley-cyrus-hannah-montana-salary/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-28T19:27:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:37:08.535Z og:title: Miley Cyrus Thinks She Was Probably Underpaid at Disney og:description: She may have starred in 'Hannah Montana,' but Cyrus wasn't raking in top dollar. og:url: https://time.com/4511928/miley-cyrus-hannah-montana-salary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30004e866020c69e/6988a7f80a4a2250a19cb71d/miley-cyrus-iheart.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival - Night 1 - Show og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Miley Cyrus Thinks She Was Probably Underpaid at Disney twitter:description: She may have starred in 'Hannah Montana,' but Cyrus wasn't raking in top dollar. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30004e866020c69e/6988a7f80a4a2250a19cb71d/miley-cyrus-iheart.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Miley Cyrus Thinks She Was 'Probably the Least Paid Person' on _Hannah Montana_ > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=efc44ca7-59a9-4f50-83f8-3893839fc094&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=efc44ca7-59a9-4f50-83f8-3893839fc094&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=efc44ca7-59a9-4f50-83f8-3893839fc094&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Sep 28, 2016 7:27 PM UTC  Miley Cyrus performs onstage at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 23, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Miley Cyrus performs onstage at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 23, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kevin Winter—Getty Images  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Sep 28, 2016 7:27 PM UTC Ever since leaving Disney, [Miley Cyrus](http://time.com/3918308/miley-cyrus-transgender-rights-instapride/?iid=sr-link1) has made it her mission to be [famously unfiltered](http://time.com/4016820/miley-cyrus-her-dead-petz-review/?iid=sr-link5). In a new interview with _Elle_, the [newest _Voice_ judge](http://time.com/4339966/miley-cyrus-jimmy-fallon-funny-faces/?iid=sr-link1) gamely opened up about her past as Hannah Montana, the alter ego that launched her to tweenage stardom in the 2000s. “I did not grow up spoiled in any way. I just wanted to be on TV,” [she told _Elle_.](http://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a39154/miley-cyrus-cover-story/) “I mean, at one point—they’ll probably kill me for saying it—I was probably the least paid person on my \[_Hannah Montana_\] cast because I didn’t know any better. I was just like, I can be on Disney! Yeah, I want to do it! My name was Miley on my show, but I didn’t own my name—we didn’t think about that.” Cyrus added that her parents ultimately helped surround her with people who enabled her to gain more control of her career, for which she doesn’t have a makeup artist. ([In the Kardashian era](http://time.com/4087040/kylie-jenner-interview/?iid=sr-link10), that’s a headline-worthy admission.) “Mostly, I tell people, Don’t wear makeup,” she said, “I mean, I cover my zits, but besides that, I don’t really wear it. And Alicia \[Keys\] doesn’t really wear it. But she’s got a makeup artist and I don’t.” Stay being Miley. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4511928/miley-cyrus-hannah-montana-salary/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4511928/miley-cyrus-hannah-montana-salary/"},"headline":"Miley Cyrus Thinks She Was 'Probably the Least Paid Person' on Hannah Montana","datePublished":"2016-09-28T19:27:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:37:08.535Z","description":"\"I was just like, I can be on Disney!\"","url":"https://time.com/4511928/miley-cyrus-hannah-montana-salary/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Entertainment","celebrities","Music"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30004e866020c69e/6988a7f80a4a2250a19cb71d/miley-cyrus-iheart.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30004e866020c69e/6988a7f80a4a2250a19cb71d/miley-cyrus-iheart.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival - Night 1 - Show","caption":"2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival - Night 1 - Show","creditText":"Kevin Winter—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4511928/miley-cyrus-hannah-montana-salary/","name":"Miley Cyrus Thinks She Was 'Probably the Least Paid Person' on Hannah Montana"}}]}] ```