Tish Cyrus Gets Honest on ‘The Squeeze’ About Grief, Anxiety, and Holding It All Together

Tish Cyrus has the kind of warmth that makes people talk to her like they already know her. On The Squeeze with the Lautners, that “Mama Tish” reputation gets unpacked in real time—why fans see her as a stand-in mom, what it really looked like to raise kids in the spotlight, and how she kept her family steady while the public story spun out of control.

But the most gripping thread isn’t celebrity based at all. It’s what happens when you spend decades running on adrenaline and pushing grief down—until your nervous system finally taps out. Tish talks candidly about losing her mom, her marriage ending, and how she didn’t fully process either until she got still. The result was a year of anxiety so intense she could barely function—and a hard-earned shift toward presence.

‘The Squeeze’: Tish Cyrus on Anxiety and Motherhood

Below are the highlights from the episode, adapted from The Squeeze.

When you look back, do you realize how intense your life was raising your children?

“I think I’ve realized it more now that things have quieted down how crazy my life was for so freaking long, like truly. Because like I said, Noah was an equestrian and she would win these [competitions]—whether she won or she didn’t—I needed to be there. So there were many times I’d be in Brazil, on a South American tour and then have to fly home for Noah’s horse show. And this is when she got a little older. ‘Cause I really, I took all the kids on the road with me, I was pretty adamant about being with Miley all the time. Because if you can’t be, I think that’s like things can go wrong…

…I would take Noah and Braison because they were younger. Brandi was in college. Trace was on the road with Metro Station. But Noah and Braison I would take with us out on the road. And I think that was not only really good for them, it was really good for Miley. And I think it’s why she ended up staying just so grounded because it was a family thing out on the road. But I needed to do that. And then once Noah was a little older and did want to stay behind for different things, that’s when the juggling came in of making sure I was at everybody’s stuff. But I think that’s so important.”

What did you learn about luck and timing that most people outside the business don’t get?

“It’s really important as a parent to keep reminding each of your kids their wins and successes and making sure they understand that what’s over here isn’t normal. With Hannah Montana and all of the Twilights, I mean, there’s a lot of luck involved in that. There’s a lot of talented kids and I do feel like a lot of people get really lucky to be a part of something so big because that’s not actually reality for most people…

…Same thing with Miley. She auditioned for Sharkboy and Lava Girl and got down to like the final three. But if she would have gotten that, she probably wouldn’t have been able to do Hannah Montana. She was bummed when she didn’t get that, but then Hannah Montana came right after.”

How do you keep your head straight when the press makes things up constantly? 

“I have learned very early on, we just really don’t comment on things because what we’ve learned through the process is it doesn’t matter what your comment is, if you’re just even saying anything, the story continues…but I think my favorite thing is that we’re lizard people. This is a real thing that happened, this isn’t even a joke.

After the podcast, I will tell you who, but it was somebody that was famous…their girlfriend, like, I don’t know if that’s how it got started or whatever…She was like, ‘I was so scared.’ She was like, ‘You know, they’re lizard people, right?’ And he was like, ‘What’s that?’…And this is a thing. Lizard people are a thing because we looked it up. [They thought] that we zip on our human skin. Like underneath, I am a lizard…And the fact that someone that seemed pretty smart believed it. Yeah. I was like, this is insane.”

What was the emotional stuff you didn’t process until later?

“I lost my mom in 2020 during COVID, and I got divorced, I think, top of 2022, maybe. And I have been so busy that I’ve just…Anything that’s happened, I kind of am like, ‘Well, that’s life. Just keep it moving,’ you know? And I was very close to my mom. And my kids were really close to my mom. Like she lived with us the whole time Miley was doing Hannah Montana and was helping me with all the kids. And then once that was all over, we got her a little house right beside ours…She’d go to the set with Miley and like just my kids just worshipped her. And then when she passed, not long after that, my marriage started falling apart. I’d been in this relationship since I was 23 or 24. And so, again, I kept it moving…

…Two of the most probably tragic things in my life that happened, I did not process or even stop to really think about…And also, I’ve been very open that I was a major weed smoker. And I think for that, because I’ve always had a little bit of anxiety, I do think at that time, that was almost like medicine for me, because I’m a huge believer in plant medicine. That was like self-medicating in some ways, and that I didn’t even realize that I was doing it for that reason. No matter what it was, I do think it kind of numbed all that pain.

And then I stopped smoking. And all of a sudden, a week later, I am just in full-on anxiety to the point I was not functioning. I did not know what was happening. And so when I started therapy, I really started talking about my life and moving out here and my kids in the business and what my life had been…

…And I just now am really learning how to deal with it. I’m so much better. Like I was not functioning for that year. I was just trying to survive…I do still, like, this morning I was really anxious and about nothing really. But I’m learning to control it.”

What is your relationship now with smoking weed?

“I’d never smoked marijuana ever until I was 42. And Miley and I were on tour, and I was on my own bus, which caught on fire and burnt to the ground. And after that happened, I literally could not go to sleep on a tour bus. Like, I was just terrified to try to sleep. And somebody gave me Ambien, which made me feel hungover the next day. And Miley really was like, ‘Mom, you should try to smoke a little. It will help you sleep.’ And so that’s kind of how it started in my 40s…

…I’ve just never been a drinker. I don’t drink wine. I just don’t drink. Never done a drug in my life. But for whatever reason, it did just make me so much more relaxed and probably more fun for sure. It really worked for me. And it wasn’t something that made me tired or lazy, it made me more creative at all the things. And I had smoked for about 10 years, and then we went on vacation somewhere I could not have the weed. That was the time period that I was saying, I think I had overmedicated and not felt all of the things that I needed to feel. Then, when I didn’t have it…that is when I started having the worst anxiety…So I don’t know if smoking and then not had something to do with it. I’m not really sure.

And so for a year and a half, I didn’t smoke at all. And lately at night, right before I go to bed, I will smoke just the tiniest bit. But nothing like I used to. But what I will say is, it worked for me for so long, and I loved it. I do think because now I’m in therapy, and my therapist says, even though you didn’t know it, you were self-medicating. And that is probably why you haven’t dealt with all this stuff. So I would love to just go back and smoke and forget it all again because life was great. But I don’t think that can happen now.”

What actually helped when anxiety was at its worst?

“Everybody talks about breathing, but that was really hard for me. When I was in it, just even being able to get a breath was a lot. So trying to breathe for me just did not work. It made me kind of more anxious in a way. For me, I lost a lot of weight because not only was I nauseous, I just walked. Walking was literally what kept me sane. Anytime that I was just at the maximum, I would just go walk. And that really helped me a lot. Just listening to music and walking was my go-to.”

What are you most proud of, looking back?

“I think I’m most proud of myself. I actually feel like I was a really great mom. My kids are my life. I love my kids so much. And I think for me, the easier thing a lot of times would be to leave my kids with other people. But I think I was a really present and really good mom, and I’m probably most proud of that. I’m also proud of getting through my last year, but the most proud of anything I am is just raising the most incredible children. I’m so proud of all of them because they’re all just really grounded and awesome and like thriving in life.”

To hear Tish’s full conversation, listen to The Squeeze wherever you get your podcasts.

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