Billy Ray Cyrus’ Australian wife Firerose opens up about the bitter family feud and why she became estranged from her parents.
The Sydney singer’s parents told Daily Mail Australia how they lost touch with their daughter after she moved overseas to reinvent herself as Firerose.
Now the 37-year-old country singer, whose real name is Johanna Rosie Hodges, has stated that there was “a reason” she was fighting with her mother and father.
“There is a reason why Firerose has been estranged from her biological parents for years,” a spokesperson said.
‘She has always considered her aunt as her real mother, someone she adores and who has cared for her through all the ups and downs of life.’
The singer grew up as the middle of three daughters in a Jewish family in Sydney’s affluent northern suburbs.
She once boasted that she came from “a family of symphony musicians.” Her mother Debbie was a professional violinist and her father Stephen is a retired doctor.
Last week, her parents said they were “effectively estranged” from their daughter.
Country singer Firerose (pictured with husband Billy Ray Cyrus) has spoken candidly about her estrangement from her parents
Firerose (second from left) is the middle child of three daughters of Debbie and Stephen Scholem
“We have nothing to hide… but we had to ask ourselves whether we wanted to get involved,” her mother told Daily Mail Australia.
“I see Johanna as a bird that flew away. I often think of her when I sit on the porch and feed the lories.”
Former friends said that as a teenage student at Sydney’s Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, Firerose had a reputation as a party animal.
“Firerose was always a problem for the family, a real wild child, always partying,” a family friend told Daily Mail Australia
The news comes days after her parents ended their daughter’s first marriage.
The country singer married struggling actor David Schoen Hodges years ago after leaving Australia for a new life in the US, long before she met Cyrus, 62.
But even her own parents were not present at the wedding ceremony.
Firerose’s mother Debbie Scholem told Daily Mail Australia: “We have nothing to hide but we had to ask ourselves whether we wanted to get involved.”
Father Stephen Scholem was spotted this week pushing his grandchild, Firerose’s niece, in a stroller near his home in Sydney’s north
It is believed that Firerose and Hodges first met in Los Angeles, when Hodges moved to America to make a name for herself as an actress before moving into music.
The couple later split, although they still follow each other on social media. He is now remarried with a child and boasts an extensive list of small film roles.
After becoming Firerose, she released a string of flop singles before Billy Ray Cyrus took her under his wing in 2021 and released her track New Day.
At the time, she described him as her “longtime friend and mentor,” but the relationship blossomed and quickly turned romantic, until the couple eventually married in October last year.
However, her second marriage lasted only seven months and Cyrus filed for divorce in May after flying into a rage when he learned about her first marriage.
This week, a shocking new audio recording emerged of Cyrus lashing out at Firerose, calling her a “selfish, f***ing b***h” and a “f***ing idiot.”
Daily Mail Australia played the harrowing conversation to her parents, who admitted they knew nothing about her life with Cyrus.
The couple say they only learned about her arrest, her U.S. citizenship, which she received last week, and her new Christian faith through the media.
“We don’t know anything about her life in Tennessee — we don’t know anything about her relationship with Billy Ray,” Scholem revealed.
“The arguments between the two sound pretty painful, from both sides.”
But she added: ‘I imagine there was love between them at some point – why else would they have gotten married?’
Cyrus recently referenced Firerose’s first husband in an Instagram post after audio of his explosive exchange with his ex-wife was made public.
“As the day went on, I started to realize something was wrong. And that was before I knew she was a cheater,” he wrote.
“I just knew something wasn’t right. That was before I knew she was David Hodge’s ex-wife. That was before I knew her parents’ last name.
“I had no idea she had been arrested for a home invasion.”
He added: ‘Everything I thought I knew about her was a lie.
“See you in court.”
Miley Cyrus gave a subtle hint about whose side she’s on as her parents, Tish Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus, feud
Both singers have made accusations against each other of fraud, abuse and retaliation for a double mastectomy after Cyrus filed for divorce last May.
Firerose alleges that Cyrus was “extremely verbally, emotionally and psychologically abusive” to her during their short marriage.
The shocking audio of Cyrus’ tirade also included a rant against pop star daughter Miley Cyrus, in which he labeled her, his ex-wife and Miley’s mother as a “slut” and a “liar.”
Hours later, Miley shared a photo of herself hugging her mother Tish, 57, at a recent Gucci party in Los Angeles in a show of support.
The latest spat arose after a judge granted a motion banning Firerose from using Cyrus’ credit cards after he accused her of making “unauthorized purchases.”
Last week, she officially became a US citizen after living in the country for almost two decades, and she seemed very happy with her new status.
“This amazing country has been my home for 17 years. I couldn’t be more excited to become an American citizen!” she posted on social media.