Billy Ray Cyrus is explaining why he performed or worked for presidents of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
“My dad was a Democrat and served in the Kentucky legislature for over 20 years. But my dad always said, ‘When the president asks you to do something, you do it, son,’” Cyrus, 64, told Sky News in an interview on Tuesday, April 14. “So I’ve had both democratic and republican presidents. Served with Bill Clinton, with President [Barack] Obama, Mr. [George W.] Bush, Mr. Bush’s dad [George H.W. Bush] and Mr. [Donald] Trump.”
He continued, “Being president’s a tough job. I pray for our country. I pray for our president and I pray for our world.”
Cyrus made headlines in 2025 when he headlined the Liberty Ball, which was one of the celebratory parties in honor of Trump taking office again. After facing technical difficulties, Cyrus concluded his set with an acoustic rendition of his 1992 track “Achy Breaky Heart.”
“Check? Is anybody awake? Y’all want me to sing more or you want me to just get the hell off the stage?” he said during the broadcast. “In life, when you have technical difficulties, you just gotta keep going. Or as President Trump would say, ‘You gotta fight.’”
One day after the performance, Cyrus defended his decision to participate in the event.
“I wouldn’t have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not,” he said in a statement to People at the time. “I was there because President Donald J. Trump invited me. I had a ball at the Liberty Ball last night.”
He added, “I’ve learned through all these years when the producer says, ‘You’re on,’ you go entertain the folks even if the equipment goes to hell. I was there for the people and we had a blast. That’s called rock n roll!!!”
Cyrus was not the only performer at the inauguration events, with Carrie Underwood, Christopher Macchio, Lee Greenwood, Jason Aldean, Gavin DeGraw, Rascal Flatts, Parker McCollum, Kid Rock, the Village People and the Liberty University Praise Choir also taking the stage.
“This was the most fun part of the Liberty Ball! And if you didn’t see it … you just had to be there,” Cyrus wrote via Instagram at the time, sharing footage from Fox News’ broadcast of the event and quoting his song “Achy Breaky Heart,” adding, “‘I just don’t think you understand.’”
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