Lainey Wilson Honors Miley Cyrus With ‘The Best Of Both Worlds’ Performance At Disney Legends Ceremony

Lainey Wilson had a full circle moment over the weekend when she took the stage at the 2024 Disney Legends ceremony to honor one of the newest and youngest inductees, Miley Cyrus, with a performance of her 2006 hit, “The Best of Both Worlds.” 

Taking place at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, the event welcomed 14 new members into the elite Disney Legends awards program, a hall of fame created as a way to commemorate individuals who have had a significant impact on the Disney legacy. Past honorees include Christina Aguilera, Stan Lee, Betty White and Oprah Winfrey.  

This year, Cyrus, 31, was recognized for her longstanding relationship with the Disney family, which began when she was just 13 years old. Her worldwide recognition came early in life as a result of her popular Disney show, Hannah Montana, which premiered on the network in March of 2006 and ran for four seasons. She has since moved on from her glitzy, blonde wig wearing Hannah Montana persona and now continues to make waves with her music career as Miley Cyrus.

Before stepping on stage to claim her trophy on Sunday, August 11, a highlight reel showcasing her monumental career began to play across a large screen. The audience of nearly 20,000 fans watched clips from her 2023 Disney+ special, Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions), iconic scenes from her show, early interviews and more.

Wilson Recounts Her Days As A Hannah Montana Impersonator

Once the reel came to a close, Lainey Wilson and her bandmates stepped in front of the audience to perform the show’s theme song. This was an incredibly sentimental for Wilson, who has frequently opened up about the fact that she got her start performing as a Hannah Montana impersonator as a teen. She gained confidence in herself and learned how to be a good entertainer while performing around her hometown as well as in places such as St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis.

Wilson recalled this aspect of her life while introducing herself to the crowd and speaking to Cyrus who sat front row with her mom, Tish, and sister, Brandi. 

 “Miley, you might not know this, but I am truly one of your biggest fans. My very first job was taking my portable sound system and a wig…and impersonating Hannah Montana,” she shared.

“You inspired me to believe in myself. That I, too, could be an ordinary girl living in an extraordinary world. So on behalf of Hannah Montana fans everywhere, I’d like to dedicate this song to you.”

The “Hang Tight Honey” singer then began belting out the catchy tune, “The Best of Both Worlds,” while donning a denim ensemble and rhinestone tie, reminiscent of a look Miley Cyrus wore on stage throughout her The Best Of Both Worlds Tour of 2007/2008. 

The delivery, which Wilson dubbed “a dream come true,” captured that true nostalgia that so many Hannah Montana fans still hold to this day. However, she also opted to change up some of the lyrics to make it more suitable for the present day. For example, on the line, “You go to movie premieres,” she swapped out “is that Orlando Bloom?” for “is that Glen Powell?”  

@etalkctv Lainey Wilson honours Miley Cyrus at her Disney Legends ceremony by singing “Best of Both Worlds” to her. 💜 Lainey also told the story of how she started her career as a Hannah Montana impersonator 🥺 Plus, she changed up the iconic Orlando Bloom line to shout out Glen Powell 😅 What do you think of Lainey Wilson singing Hannah Montana? 👀 #D23 #Disney #DisneyLegends #MileyCyrus #LaineyWilson #CountryMusic #HannahMontana #Music #GlenPowell @Disney @Disney D23 @Miley Cyrus @Lainey Wilson ♬ original sound – etalk

Once her lively performance came to an end, she thanked Cyrus for “never being afraid to step outside the box, always staying true to yourself and most of all for kicking butt, no matter what, girl.”

Miley Cyrus Steps On Stage

The pair of powerful female artists shared a hug on stage, and Cyrus proceeded to make an emotional speech that emphasized how much of an impact her Disney days had on her life. 

“I am definitely going to cry,” she warned the crowd.  “Before we get started, I’m going to let everybody in on a little Disney Legends’ secret — I’m the one that tells you what you’re not supposed to know. And what I want to say is that legends get scared too. I’m scared right now…It’s legendary to be afraid and do it anyway. There’s no such thing as failure when you try.”

“In 2005, Disney was on a mission to rebuild and reimagine the company — that’s why they hired [Disney CEO] Bob Iger and me,” she said with a laugh. Cyrus went on to recall all the “buzz” that circulated around the Burbank office at the time of her audience for the Hannah Montana role. 

She went on to explain that the Burbank office is rumored to be the place where “they create all of us Disney kids…I definitely wasn’t created in a lab, but if I was, there must’ve been a bug in the system which caused me to malfunction somewhere between the years of 2013-16,” Cyrus said, joking about her more rebellious phases. 

Switching her tone to a more serious one, the 31-year-old took fans on a journey as she recounted the major shift she experienced after getting the part of Hannah Montana and having to move from Nashville to Los Angeles.  

She then revealed that her first performance as the fictional star was free and was held at the Glendale Galleria. “The first song I opened with was titled ‘This Is the Life,’ Which of course, no one knew. Because in reality, I was a little girl in a blonde wig at the mall with a big dream. But in my heart, I was Hannah Montana. And I was so proud to be her,” Cyrus admitted.

“A little bit of everything has changed since that day, but at the same time, nothing has changed at all. I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana. Because she made Miley in so many ways. This award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans and to everyone who has made my dream a reality.” 

“This is the life,’” she said in conclusion, quoting her own song of the same name. 

In addition to Cyrus, the prestigious ceremony also honored costume designer Colleen Atwood, Angela Bassett, Disney Parks cast member Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marvel comic artist Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, animator Mark Henn, Frank Oz, Kelly Ripa, Imagineer Joe Rohde and John Williams.