Billy Ray Cyrus hit out at his estranged singer wife Firerose in an Instagram Story on Wednesday (July 24) after a tape leaked showing the 62-year-old 'Achy Breaky Heart' star mocking Firerose (nee Johanna. Hodges) , 37, during a heated argument in which she blamed the Australian singer for making him late for a show.
“Hell yeah, I was at my wits end,” Cyrus wrote on History. “As each day passed, I began to realize that something was wrong. And that was before I knew he was a scammer. I just knew something was wrong. That was before I knew she was David Hodges' ex-wife. That was before I knew her parents' last name.”
The post continued, “I had no idea he was arrested for felony residential burglary. I saw before my eyes, everything I thought I knew about her, was a lie. She was trying to take over my career, my life and usurp the Cyrus name for her own gain. See you in court.”
It is unclear who leaked the undated audio of the argument to Britain Daily Mailbut Cyrus' divorce lawyers said ET that was Firerose; at press time, a Firerose representative had no comment when asked by Advertising sign to respond to this claim.
In the 90-second recording — where Advertising sign got it — a hoarse-sounding man identified as Cyrus can be heard slamming Firerose for allegedly making him late for an appearance. “It's 9:15 you idiot,” he says. “I should have left two hours ago,” as the person identified as Firerose calmly replies, “No you didn't, you can still leave.”
“Get the fk out of here. I had to go when I was ready to go,” continues the man identified as Cyrus. “If you had just closed the fk. I'm not in any place to put on a show. I had to go when I was ready to go! [sound of hands clapping together]. If you had just shut the fk up!” Firerose asks Cyrus to “stop yelling at her” as the singer continues to blame his ex for making him late.
“If you'd just let it go when I told you to, it was done. Now I'm really pissed off. You have shown me once again that you will not listen. I don't know who the fk you think you are but you won't listen. Cyrus then tells Firerose that their argument is that she's a “selfish b–ch,” telling her “I don't think you're really smart. I changed my mind about this st.” He then repeatedly called her a “b-tch” and a “dumb ass” and said, “you can't keep walking over me and think I'm going to go out in public with your dumb ass and the king has you st wherever you want in front to whoever… you just got up.”
Cyrus filed for divorce on May 22, citing “irreconcilable differences” and “marital misconduct” seven months after the couple married. they started dating in 2022 after years of friendship. In a follow-up filing on June 13, Cyrus requested an emergency motion accusing Firerose of making nearly $100,000 in unauthorized “fraudulent” credit card charges while seeking a temporary restraining order to stop her, allegations her attorneys called “untrue.” .
In a statement shared with Advertising signCyrus' divorce attorneys, Rose Palermo and Jason Talley of Cheatham Palermo and Garrett, said: “On behalf of our client, Billy Ray Cyrus, we wish to respond to Ms. Hodges' recent press release in what appears to be a last-ditch effort to extort money from Mr. Cyrus before our court ordered mediation scheduled for next week.”
They added, “As we previously said and released in June, we are sorry that Ms. Hodges has chosen to pursue this 7-month marriage in the press and has left Mr. Cyrus with no recourse but to set the record straight, once again. . Mr. Cyrus previously admitted in a court filing that he was very vocally frustrated and angry with Ms. Hodges during their 7-month marriage as he began to reveal more and more of Ms. Hodges' true motives for marrying him.”
Referring to the leaked audio, lawyers said Firerose – who has legally changed her name to Firerose – allegedly made the recording without telling Cyrus he was being taped. “Of course, she was on her best behavior on purpose since she knew she was being recorded,” they wrote. “If Mr. Cyrus really was the person that Ms. Hodges wants the court of public opinion to believe by releasing her one-sided tape, then it is strange to try to explain why Ms. Hodges begged to come back to live with him and Mr. Cyrus to give her a chance to 'explain everything' after filing for an annulment or dissolution of their marriage.”
The attorneys concluded, “Unfortunately, Ms. Hodges is attempting to litigate her case in the press for her own personal gain and in an effort to damage our client's long-standing career, as she promised she would if he tried to divorce her, which Mr. Cyrus is brought before a court. At this point, Ms. Hodges has played her last card, while Mr. Cyrus, on the other hand, has much more material to present to the Court to prove the lies he has spread throughout this process.”
After Cyrus filed for divorce, Firerose accused him of domestic abuse, saying he was psychologically abusive during their marriage, calling the country singer “unpredictable and unstable” due to alleged substance abuse, adding that she filed for divorce a day before she is scheduled to undergo a preventive double mastectomy. Cyrus' lawyers have “vehemently” denied the allegations, saying that while he was “certainly vocal, frustrated and angry with the defendant in May 2024, the plaintiff is the one who has, in fact, been abused. Not only verbally and emotionally from the accused, but PHYSICALLY.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/country/billy-ray-cyrus-response-leaked-audio-argument-firerose-divorce-1235739680/