Trace Cyrus has claimed his father, Billy Ray Cyrus, is threatening to sue him after he shared concerns following his dad’s disastrous performance at U.S. President Donald Trump’s inaugural ball.
At last week’s Liberty Ball in Washington, D.C., Billy Ray, 63, struggled to get through his two-song set and at one point asked the crowd if he should “just get the hell off the stage.”
“Check? Is anybody awake?” Billy Ray asked. “Y’all want me to sing more or you want me to just get the hell off the stage?”
“In life, when you have technical difficulties, you just gotta keep going, or as President Trump would say, ‘You gotta fight,’” he continued as he sang his 1992 hit Achy Breaky Heart a cappella.
After his performance made headlines, Billy Ray told PEOPLE that he “wouldn’t have missed the honour of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not.”
“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,” he said. “I was there for the people and we had a blast. That’s called rock n roll!”
Following his father’s performance, Trace, 35, shared a lengthy note to Instagram in which he wrote that his dad had become someone he could “barely recognize” anymore.
“It seems this world has beaten you down and it’s become obvious to everyone but you,” Trace wrote on Instagram. “Me and the girls have been genuinely worried about you for years but you’ve pushed all of us away … We are all hanging on to memories of the man we once knew & hoping for the day he returns.”
Billy Ray, who adopted Trace and Brandi Cyrus, 37, in 1993 after marrying their mother Tish Cyrus, is also dad to Miley Cyrus, 32, and Noah Cyrus, 25, and son Braison Cyrus, 30.
Insiders told Page Sixthat Miley found her dad’s appearance “concerning,” while Noah was “also concerned.”
But PEOPLE also reported that Miley is steering clear of the family drama.
“Miley used to feel overwhelmed by the family drama. She worked hard to remove herself. She’s not about to get involved again,” a source told the outlet. “She’s in a great place now. She’s thriving and looking out for herself.”
Now, Trace is claiming that Billy Ray “did contact a family member to let me know he’s taking legal action against me for encouraging him to get help.”
“Dad I live 30 minutes away from you,” he shared in a now-expired Instagram Story (per USA Today). “You could’ve just come & talked to me like a man.”
In a lengthier statement shared to Instagram, the former Metro Station singer said that Billy Ray has threatened to take legal action against him.
“Dad my message was beyond loving. I could have been extremely honest about a lot more but I don’t want to put your business out there like that,” he wrote. “But for you to threaten me with legal action for wanting you to get help is a disgrace.”
Trace added, “Pappy is looking down at you with such disappointment I can assure you. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
He concluded his message, writing: “I will always love you but I no longer respect you as a man. Everyone close to you is terrified to tell you how they really feel. I’m not. Get help.”
In his post’s caption, Trace encouraged fans to “Send my dad some words of encouragement guys!! I have faith the man we all once knew is still in there somewhere. We gotta get him back.”
After Billy Ray’s son voiced his concern, his ex-wife Firerose called his behaviour “very sad.”
“What’s being seen in public now reflects much of what I experienced in private during our relationship,” she said in a statement shared with PEOPLE and Page Six.
The pair were married briefly in 2024 before their divorce was finalized last August.
“It’s very sad to see those same struggles continue for him, but I’m glad the truth is coming to light — for his potential good because healing is only possible when you confront the truth and accept there’s a problem,” she continued. “For me, I remain focused on my faith, my music, my healing and using my story to encourage others to find strength and hope.”
For his part after their split, Billy Ray said he was “happy to be out of the marriage.”
“(He feels the marriage) was all a scam. He feels lucky that he figured it all out.”