Miley Cyrus made an appearance on Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky podcast this week, opening up about public scrutiny, her career, and her family‘s long road to reconciliation—all while serving a striking vintage fashion moment.
For the interview, the singer wore an archival Thierry Mugler black velvet mini dress that perfectly captured the designer’s signature dramatic tailoring. The gothic-inspired look featured a high Victorian-style neckline with a sheer illusion panel across the chest, while the rest of the dress was crafted from rich black velvet with long sleeves.
Delicate buttons ran down the front, and a side zipper added a modern touch to the vintage silhouette. The “Flowers” hitmaker completed the outfit with classic black ankle-strap heels and swept her hair into a voluminous updo secured with a claw clip and styled with a subtle side part.
View this post on Instagram
Miley Cyrus Wears Velvet Mini Dress On Podcast Show
Although Miley’s exact archival Mugler dress isn’t available for purchase, you can recreate the same dark, romantic aesthetic on a budget. One similar option is the Irresistible Details Black Velvet Mesh Long Sleeve Mini Dress from Lulus, which retails for $59 and is also available in burgundy.
Beyond the fashion, the conversation took a deeply personal turn as Miley reflected on what she described as her family’s “dark decade.”
“My family and I have had a really difficult… What did you call your decade? Dark decade. Yeah, we had one of those,” she told Lewinsky.
The 33-year-old revealed that, at one point, much of her family had stopped speaking to one another.
“Half of us weren’t speaking to each other at one point, and we cleaned all that up,” she said. “That was a really important part of my year this year, was all of my family putting those lines of communication back together. A lot because of, you know, I had a lot of loyalty to my mom [Tish Cyrus], the way that families do when parents get divorced.”
Looking back, Miley said she realized unresolved issues only became harder to confront over time.
“I watched what happens when you don’t clean things up as they’re happening. They really do stack, and then all of a sudden you go, ‘Oh my God, it’s been 10 years, and this is a mess that I barely even know how to start. This is like emotional hoarding.'”
Women Are Swapping Their Boring Water For This Ice Pop Electrolyte Mix!
Miley Cyrus Opens Up About 'Dark Decade' With Family
Instead of forcing difficult conversations immediately, she said she chose to rebuild positive experiences with her family first.
"I just kind of bust through the pile that's stacked, and just go, 'I'm here. You're here. Let's start by having a good time together.' And then as we start bringing some happiness and joy into each other's life, then we'll just be in a better place to have these conversations. 'Cause I'd rather get it balanced first."
When Lewinsky asked whether the family ever sought counseling, the Hannah Montana star admitted they never made it that far.
"We're so messy we didn't even do any of that," she said with a laugh, adding that simply getting everyone into the same room "would have been a war."
"So it was easier to just go, 'White flag.'"
The Cyrus family has endured several highly publicized conflicts in recent years following Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus' 2022 divorce after nearly three decades of marriage.
Tish married actor Dominic Purcell in 2023, while Billy Ray briefly married singer Firerose before filing for divorce less than a year later amid a very public split.
Reports also alleged that Purcell was casually seeing Miley's younger sister, Noah, prior to his relationship with Tish.
During that period, Miley's brother Trace Cyrus also publicly criticized their father on social media, adding to speculation that the family had grown deeply divided.
Despite the turmoil, Miley shared that those relationships have since healed, revealing that she and Billy Ray have reconciled and that the family is now in a much healthier place than it was just a few years ago.
