Showrunner Reveals Why More 'Hannah Montana' Stars Weren't Part of 20th Anniversary Special

The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special got some backlash for the lack of inclusion of the Disney Channel show’s cast.

The special mainly focused on star Miley Cyrus, but it also featured appearances from her dad Billy Ray Cyrus, who also played her father on the show, and at the end, her younger sister Noah, who had several guest spots on HM, also appeared.

Now, the showrunner of the 20th anniversary special is speaking out about the decision to not have more of the original cast featured.

Keep reading to find out more…

“We toyed around with what was the most heart-led for Miley. If maybe we had a two-hour special, there would have been room, but I really think this is about Miley and her experience and I hope that comes across in the special,” Ashley Edens told TheWrap.

“It wasn’t that she didn’t want anyone else there — I think her love for all those classmates comes through — but … in the hour special, we really just leaned into Miley and her experience and it being through her lens,” she added.

Ashley also talked about having the other guests - Selena Gomez and Chappell Roan – there, and if there were others that were in contention.

“Really, in talking with Tish and Disney, we all really wanted Selena. Selena and Miley are friends. I think they talked at the Grammys earlier, and if their schedules worked out, we just thought, ‘who else?’” she said. “No one else has walked in their shoes and they are genuinely friends. [It’s] just a cool moment, I think, for two powerful, successful women that grew up in this world to support one another, and that’s what this was about. I love that Selena came through for Miley.”

Ashley added, “Chappell is a massive Miley fan, and I don’t know if it came through from Tish or not, but Chappell was just one of those people that we felt like represented a younger artist and someone really in Gen Z that grew up on Miley and grew up Hannah and really related to the story of Hannah Montana — she saw herself in that role, and so that was a special moment. I don’t think they’d ever met, so it was really sweet. Chappell was adorable with Miley.”

If you missed it, during the special, Miley revealed she dated another Disney Channel star that many may have not known or forgotten about.