The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special is here, and despite having cameos galore and a star-studded premiere, Emily Osment and Mitchel Musso, two of the core cast members from the hit Disney Channel show, are notably absent from both the program and its premiere. But fret not, because they have their reasons.
On 23 March, one day before the special's premiere, Emily Osment (who played Lilly Truscott, the best friend of Miley Cyrus's Miley Stewart on the original show) took to Instagram to reminisce about her time filming Hannah Montana and to explain her absence from the show and the reunion to fans, and it all boils down to filming conflicts.
In her post, Osment films herself with Montana Jordan, her co-star on the CBS sitcom Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, shouting out the special and revealing that she was unable to join the reunion because she was busy filming.
In the video's caption, Osment further reminisced about her time as Lilly, writing, “Hannah Montana changed my life, it gave me a lifelong respect for this medium of comedy, it taught me discipline, patience, timing, and respect working in an adult space so young.”
“I can’t tell you what your sweet messages mean to me and how lucky I feel to have been apart [sic] of this once in a generation goliath of a television show,” she continued. “Thank you for letting me into your living rooms and I hope to still be there many years from now. Would never be where I am without you guys, working on another beautiful show I love so dearly." She signed off the post as the character she played for four seasons on the show.
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Mitchel Musso, who rounded out the main trio of Hannah Montana as Oliver Oken, also took to his own Instagram to honour the show's legacy, posting a handful of throwback photos from the production and episodes. He wrote, “Hannah Montana wrapped around my heart and never really let go. We literally grew up with ya’ll — long days, crazy schedules, learning lines, cracking up between takes, and figuring out life while the cameras rolled. It taught me so many wonderful values, but the most important 'to me' is that laughter can get you through the tough days. That confidence still sticks with me every single day.”
Musso also referenced Osment's post, saying, “Like my Lillypop said on her post, so many of you building families of your own and sharing this wonderful story with your kids is a gift beyond words. It’s been the coolest part of HM.”
He also added, “Miley, Emily, Jason, Billy Ray, Moises, and the whole crew at Disney — you became my family through all the real, messy, beautiful moments. Thank you for believing in a goofy kid from Texas who wore some questionable outfits with a haircut like that. To all of you, thank you for welcoming me into your homes and hearts 20 years ago and still allowing me to be here today. I’m honored we get to share all of this together.”
Osment commented on Musso's post, writing, “love you so so much ❤️.” While Musso did not explicitly state why he skipped the reunion, it's safe to assume he had other commitments. Jason Earles, who played Miley's oldest brother, Jackson Stewart, is also missing from the special, as are others; however, he did attend the show's premiere alongside other original cast members, including Miley Cyrus, Moisés Arias, Shanica Knowles, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, and Cody Linley.
The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special is now available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
This article was first published on Teen Vogue.
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