Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose are now divorced, ending their seven-month marriage. A judge in Tennessee’s Williamson County finalized the dissolution on Monday, three months after Cyrus, 62, filed for divorce. Citing irreconcilable differences and “inappropriate marital conduct,” Cyrus sought to end his union with the 36-year-old, legally named Johanna Rose Hodges.
In a statement through his lawyers, Rose Palermo and Jason Talley of Cheatham Palermo & Garrett, Cyrus expressed relief. “I’m just very relieved… and giving thanks today to breathe a sigh of relief,” he said. “It’s unfortunate… it played out this way.” He added, “It was a matter of the heart. Love is blind … that’s for sure. B.R.C.”
Cyrus’ legal team claimed Hodges changed her last name to Cyrus before mediation, allegedly to validate his belief that her primary motive in marrying him was to adopt his last name. Hodges’ lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Court documents revealed that neither party would pay spousal support, and the division of assets would largely depend on ownership before their marriage. In his initial filing in May, Cyrus had also sought an annulment, citing fraud by Hodges. Details on the “alleged inappropriate conduct or fraud” were not specified, but the filing indicated that both parties should retain their separate property.
The couple, married in October 2023, lived in Tennessee and collaborated on several songs. According to the court documents, Cyrus will transfer ownership, master rights, copyright interests, and royalties of the music and intellectual property they created during their marriage to Hodges.
Cyrus has been married twice before, most notably to Tish Cyrus, with whom he shares five children, including musician and actor Miley Cyrus. After nearly three decades together, they divorced in 2022, following previously called-off divorce proceedings in 2010 and 2013. Miley Cyrus notably omitted her father from her thank-yous during her Grammy Award acceptance speech in February, highlighting an ongoing family rift.
