The pole dance seen around the world! Back in 2009, Miley Cyrus proved she was more than just Hannah Montana with a controversial performance at the Teen Choice Awards.
Cyrus, who was 16 years old at the time, took the stage to debut “Party in the USA,” but viewers at home were more focused on the ice cream cart she danced on, which featured a prominent pole. While some thought the Disney star’s moves were questionable for her fanbase, dad Billy Ray Cyrus approved of the performance.
“You know what? I just think that Miley loves entertaining people. She loves singing and songwriting. I always tell her to love what you’re doing and stay focused for the love of the art and not worry so much about opinion,” the “Old Town Road” crooner told Access at the time. “I always tell her to love what you’re doing and stay focused for the love of the art and not worry so much about opinion.”
Cyrus, for her part, addressed the eyebrow-raising appearance on the Today show, admitting she didn’t want to be known as “this perfect girl.”
“As someone who is hopefully inspiring other people, that’s what I want more than anything,” the actress said in August 2009. “I’m not here to say that I’m perfect because I’m far from that, as we all are. … My mistakes are kind of a little bit harder because they are in front of millions and millions of people. I get to go through that and I get to learn.”
While some things never change — Cyrus’ dance moves — the “Can’t Be Tamed” singer apologizing for her actions certainly has.
“One time I went backstage at Disneyland, and Peter Pan was smoking a cigarette. And I was like, ‘That’s me. That’s the kind of dreams I’m crushing,’” Cyrus told Elle in July 2019 about her Disney past. “That’s how everyone felt with the bong video, but I’m not a Disney mascot.”
Cyrus wasn’t the only one who made headlines back in 2009. Scroll through to revisit the 2009 Teen Choice Awards to see how much things have changed — and come full circle:
The 2019 Teen Choice Awards air on Fox Sunday, August 11, at 8 p.m. ET.