Billy Ray Cyrus defends performing for Democrat, Republican presidents

Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY Fri, April 17, 2026 at 1:23 AM UTC

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Billy Ray Cyrus is refusing to draw party lines when it comes to his live performances for U.S. presidents.

The musician, 64, spoke about performing at President Donald Trump's second inauguration in January 2025, telling Sky News in an April 14 interview he would perform for presidents whether they are Republican or Democrat.

He said his outlook stems from advice from his late father, Ron Cyrus, who served in the Kentucky House of Representatives for 11 consecutive terms and died in 2006 at age 70.

"My dad was a Democrat and served in the Kentucky legislature for over 20 years. But my dad always said, ‘When the president asks you to do something, you do it, son,'" Cyrus told Sky News. "So I've had both democratic and republican presidents. Served with Bill Clinton, with President [Barack] Obama, Mr. [George W.] Bush, Mr. Bush's dad [George H.W. Bush] and Mr. [Donald] Trump."

Billy Ray Cyrus attends the 2026 Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on April 12, 2026.

He continued: "Being president is a tough job. I pray for our country. I pray for our president, and I pray for our world."

Billy Ray Cyrus says he wouldn't have missed Trump's inauguration

At Trump's inauguration at the Liberty Ball, a gala following the swearing-in, Cyrus left fans both confused and disappointed due to technical problems and creative choices during his set.

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The musician baffled fans when he mainly watched the music video to his 2019 remix of "Old Town Road" playing behind him on large projectors and muttered his parts of the track in the microphone too quietly to distinguish from the recording. As he performed "Achy Breaky Heart," he realized his electric guitar was not hooked up to the audio system and eventually opted to sing acapella when an effort to reconfigure the setup failed.

The next day, Cyrus issued a statement to People magazine sharing that he was honored to play at the inauguration event, adding, "I was there because President Donald J. Trump invited me."

"I wouldn't have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not," he said. "I've learned through all these years when the producer says, 'You're on,' you go entertain the folks even if the equipment goes to hell. I was there for the people and we had a blast. That's called rock n roll!!!"

The "Hannah Montana" alum's performance was blasted online with one X user calling it "possibly the cringiest few minutes in entertainment history." Other critics condemned artists like Cyrus for performing at the inauguration, arguing they were cosigning some of Trump's most controversial positions, while others have defended artists putting politics aside.

Contributing: Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Billy Ray Cyrus defends performing for U.S. presidents on both parties

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