After months of silence, Billy Ray Cyrus has finally publicly addressed his daughter Miley’s controversial Vanity Fair photo shoot. Back in April, the Hannah Montana star was extremely embarrassed when pictures taken by celebrity photographer Annie Liebowitz hit the internet. The picture that drew the most criticism and backlash was one of the 15 year old wrapped only in a blanket and showing her bare back. Miley immediately apologized to her fans while Liebowitz defended her photograph, saying that it was “a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup.” Billy Ray gave his perspective today to Meredith Viera on The Today Show.

Billy Ray was not home at the time of the photo shoot but says that his daughter’s publicist was there. “I didn’t know they were gonna strip her down and wrap her in a blanket,” he told The Today Show.  The reason he chose not to speak out right away about the photo is because he felt it was better to let things blow over.  He referred to a saying his father used to tell him: "The more you stomp in poop, the more it stinks," he said.

When asked why he was able to participate in a Vanity Fair photo with his daughter but somehow missed the one that drew the most controversy, Billy Ray offered up an honest answer.  “I had just finished a movie down in Florida. I flew in because Annie had specifically asked that I come in and do a shot with Miley. I had worked with her before," he explained.  "She’s a great lady. She’s a good person, a great photographer. I was scheduled to be in Washington state the next day to play for the troops returning from Iraq and then the next day in Anchorage, Alaska.”

When Miley was upset by the media backlash, her father was right by her side, comforting her and offering his advice.  He told her something that singer Kris Kristofferson had told him when he was first getting started in the music industry.  “Me and Miley went for a little walk a few days later, and I told her what Kris had said. I said, ‘It’s just one of those things. You gotta kind of stand back and let it run its course'," he said.  Cyrus also defended the photo he took with Miley, where she is laying across his lap.  His explanation: he just loves his daughter a whole lot, he proudly stated.



- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: The Today Show
(Image courtesy of Vanity Fair)