Billy Ray Cyrus Defends Miley's Stripper Pole Dance (VIDEO, POLL)

Billy Ray Cyrus would like everyone to know he supports his daughter's efforts as an entertainer, even when they involve pole dances as did Miley's dance at the Teen Choice Awards earlier this month.

"You know what? I just think that Miley loves entertaining people," he told Access Hollywood when asked about the controversy. "I always tell her to love what you're doing and stay focused for the love of the art and not worry so much about opinion."

It's worth noting that Billy's youngest daughter, Noah, 9, is also acquainted with stripper poles.

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Comments

[nycvagabond]

the only people who actually think that this is a big deal are the people who see je sus in bowls of cheetos and people who voted for that fvc kin m0 ron from alaska

[PathofTotality]

UUMMMM............I've been to gentlemans establishments before and folks, that IS NOT a pole dance. Sorry but is just is not.

[rokkerXD]

FINALLY! Someone speaks the truth. Its sooo nawt a pole dance

[nmdh]

Very true. The way she used the pole appeared to be to mantain her balance as she was pushed across the stage.

[zukervati]

P/mp daddy! Your typical S0uthern values, with a tinge of Hi//bi//y spirit - way to go pops!

[mommabrown714]

Ok, society seems to forget many factors - like 1) that was not pole dancing - that was dancing with a prop, like her hat, her co-dancers, etc; 2) the choreographers who prepare these dances for the young entertainers are ADULTS; 3) these young entertainers are doing their jobs - You don't see the media standing over you watching your every move at work, do you? 4) the whole point of entertainment is to get people talking - so it's working! and 5) she's not a little girl anymore. Same scenario happened to Brittney Spears, Christina Agulera, Mya, etc. and guess what, it's going to continue to happen because that's what society wants. So long as her parents feel that she is acting appropriately, we have no room to comment because she, Miley, is not societies child - she is Billy Rae's child.

Three words for you: GET OVER IT.

[zukervati]

Three words for you: She is Sixteen!

[demomntgirl]

She is a MINOR....
Good old "Daddy" had to approve beforehand!
16 yr olds poledancing....
is against the law in a bar...
or a strip joint...
but it's A-OK with DADDY on NATIONAL TV!!
go figure...

Maybe...it's the........money???

nahhhhh.

[KennyFox]

She was not pole dancing. Watch a real pole dance. That was not what Miley did. Not even close.

[PWM]

I see you never watched a real pole dance.

[BrittBratt]

Ya this is just wrong I mean i'm eightteen and i have never danced or just (STOOD on a pole!) she is just sixteen one day you can just stand on it and the next she will be dancing on it. Her dad needs to watch what he is letting his daughther do. My dad would never let me do that and i'm eightteen. One of these days Miley is going to end up like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan. I don't care if she is famous and a singer we should care about stuff like that I mean that's why the world is crap cause everybody is like let her do what they want cause it ant me! We should care about each other. and Miley you need to see that some of the things that you do are inappropriate for a girl your age I mean you are a role model for younger girls and they might think that it is a good idea to play on a pole cause Hanna Montanna did it.

[mommabrown714]

And clearly you need to stay in school to learn spelling. Eighteen darling.

If people feel that she is not a role model, then turn your children onto someone else who is and stop talking about her. That's why she's popular. That's what makes a person "famous" - word of mouth. Once people stop talking about someone, they loose their clout.

So, if society is in an uproar with regard to Ms. Cyrus' actions as an entertainer - change the channel.

[Feanor]

Ending up like Britney Spears - #13 on Forbes Top 100 Celebrities, and earning $34 million last year.... gee, that would be a terrible thing for an entertainer, wouldn't it?

[dlvme2]

Most of the shorts out for teenage girls are that short and all she did was hang on to the pole pretty much. This was mild. People need to get a life and worry about things that are important. Frankly I do not care for Miley - that is just me, but she did nothing wrong at the "TEEN" Choice awards. It was aimed at teens for teens.

[lindaj3884]

Somebody is surely trying to create controversy. She was holding on to the pole standing on a small moving platform while singing. It was there for balance. She made no suggestive moves. I had my daughter pull it up on youtube so I could watch it after all the crap by the media. How lame. Could you guys at least show news?

[Luvnumber9]

I think the shorts and boots were inappropriate. They could have easily put her in jeans and it would have made a big difference.

[Willow207]

Wasn't it also Daddy Billy who was involved with photo shoots in Vanity Fair this past year that were questionable and seen as sexually suggestive--a violation of her Hanna Montana Disney contract? There was some flap over a pic with Daddy and Miley that appeared rather suggestive for a father and daughter.

Pole dancing? Isn't that for stripppers Billy?

Is he exploiting his own daughter? Maybe.....seems highly likely to me

[mommabrown714]

The photos for Vanity Fair were beautiful. Artsy, creative, tasteful.

Listen, people take their infants to public places and have them photographed butt-naked in all their glory but that's "cute" "adorable" "sweet" - then a 15/16 year old bares just her back (much less than what most people bare going to award shows) and the country is in an uproar.

Wow. Sad, truly truly sad.

I agree children are growing up too quickly; but the more you attempt to repress them, the more they will rebel against it and act out in worse ways.

Leave the parenting up to the child's parent(s) - and if the child comes out screwed up, guess what, not your problem.

[JustinAddison]

I agree with those who believe that the performance wasn't especially indecent, but if I was dad I'd be grooming her for a career as a serious musician, not another "pop tart."

[Feanor]

The path to success as a serious musician would be a lot more difficult that the path to success as a 'pop tart', as you put it. And undoubtedly, less well paying.

[KennyFox]

Pop tart first, serious later.

[littlerabbit]

Wasn't that Miley on the NY subway?

[webblogger]

Say yes you can, Miley, put on a tee shirt and jeans.

[Feanor]

Why?

[ams4184]

I don't know what the big deal is, she was only standing next to it, she didn't ride the pole. PEOPLE GET A LIFE WILL YA!!!! Leave the poor girl alone, don't be hatin just b/c she's rich and your not...PA

[gilster]

Please Jem, what the flip is wrong with your eyes? Do you not see the" come f... me" boots?, the hot pants? (or is that just her panties she is wearing ? they are short enough to be) the OBVIOUS pole reference????? The ice cream cart is an evil plant - evil exploitation under the guise of " innocence". Ice cream cart indeed. The only cream in this video/show is the male sort that it is after.
If she wants to do porn stuff, fine, have the decency to call it that , not propagate the lie to unseeing losers (under the guise of innocence) who fall for it. Plenty of evangelical churches already for that kind of suckerdom.
If people can't see through this crap, you are lost.

[Feanor]

Yes, it's obviously meant to 'suggest' a stripper pole, while at the same time, the ice cream cart gives it the guise of innocence.

But I don't think there is anything wrong with it at all... I think it was pretty clever.

[kinnycut]

You must be absolutely nuts because you are clearly reading way more into Miley's performance than was actually there. Going down a pole once does not constitute a pole dance. She was using the pole as a prop to hang on to nothing more. If she was attempting look sexy, she would have clung to the pole like a stripper, but that is not what she did. Leave the kid alone, she is just trying to entertain her audience. This kind of crap from people is what makes child stars go bonkers.

[hjahaire]

I agree, it's sad what people will use as an excuse to make a jab at someone!! If people would watch the video they would see it is a prop for her to hang on to SOOO she went down one time , wow get real people she was just performing!! And she didn't even use it for the whole song it was just a small part!! i just don't see why people get so carried awy with something so stupid!!!!

[jemborg]

I dunno gilster, 16 year olds wear short shorts and they weren't exactly thigh-highs.

Lol at "The ice cream cart is an evil plant... The only cream in this video/show is the male sort that it is after".