Dolly Parton is a proud godmother — both on-screen and off — to Miley Cyrus.
The Queen of Country is reminiscing about her time on Hannah Montana as the hit Disney series marks its 20th anniversary. Taking to her Instagram, Parton shared a clip of her character, Aunt Dolly, giving advice to Cyrus’ character, Miley Stewart, as the teen pop star navigates a crush.
“Reminiscing on my time as Aunt Dolly,” the Jolene hitmaker wrote over the clip.
Parton, who is also Cyrus’ real-life godmother, continued, “When Hannah Montana came on the air and @mileycyrus, my little goddaughter, was the star of it, I was so proud of her. I thought she was sensational.”
Parton’s comments came as the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special premiered on March 24. Though she did not attend the premiere amid her ongoing health issues, she was one of the people Cyrus credits for making the Anniversary Special happen.
Speaking on Good Morning America over the weekend, Cyrus revealed the biggest lesson she learned from Parton: start promoting something before it’s real.
“I just started talking about a Hannah-versary special before one even existed,” the Flowers hitmaker recalled. “Then I went to Disney and said, ‘Look how excited everyone is about this imaginary Hannah-versary.’”
Parton wasn’t the only one sending her love from afar. Another icon celebrating the milestone was Brooke Shields, who played Miley Stewart’s late mother on the show.
“In honor of 20 years of Hannah Montana… Never forget I was Miley’s mom!” she wrote alongside a memorable dream sequence from the show, where she helps Miley regain her confidence in singing.
“These really were some sweet memories playing Miley’s mom on the show,” Shields added in the caption.
