Miley Cyrus expresses regret over infamous Sinéad O'Connor row

James Cox

US musician Miley Cyrus has expressed regret over her infamous public row with Sinéad O'Connor in 2013.

The Irish singer, who died in 2023, called out then 20-year-old Cyrus over her Wrecking Ball music video, which featured her swinging naked on a wrecking ball.

In an open letter, O'Connor told Cyrus the music industry "doesn’t give a s**t about you, or any of us".

"I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way 'cool' to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos.

"They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think it’s what YOU wanted … and when you end up in rehab as a result of being prostituted, 'they' will be sunning themselves on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought by selling your body and you will find yourself very alone."

In response, Cyrus took to Twitter sharing screenshots of posts from O'Connor appealing for a psychologist. She also compared her to Amanda Bynes, who was in rehab at the time.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Cyrus said: "I responded in a way that I would never as an adult, but that was also an adult talking to a young person."

She added: "That feels like her experience being reflected on to me, but that’s not my experience. My experience was not that the music industry didn’t care about me."

She went on to refer to her father Billy Ray Cyrus and godmother Dolly Parton, saying that they had prepared her for the hardships in the music industry.

"No, I still don’t feel that way. But I also came from a very different upbringing, where I’ve known fame since the moment that I was born, so I was really well prepared. It’s hard to train yourself to know what to expect, everything that fame can bring, but I already had the handbook, because they did the same thing to my dad, and to Dolly, to everyone around me. You know what I think it is? I understand the business I’m in. I’m in the record business.

"When I sign a contract, they’re buying records that they wish to sell, so I understand that I am setting myself up to become merchandise. I’ve committed to them that I want to not only bring success for myself but also to them. So I understand the music industry. At one point in my life, I look forward to just being an artist, untied, untethered. At some point I’ll get to do that."