Miley Cyrus says mom, Tish, was brains behind Teen Choice pole-dance routine at 16

Miley Cyrus’ mom was the brains behind the popstar’s controversial pole-dance routine when she was just 16 at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards.

The Grammy-winning “Flowers” singer, now 32, shared the questionable piece of trivia during Spotify’s “Billions Club” series this month.

“This is going to be no surprise to you. Do you know whose idea that was?” the former Disney star said while chatting with big sister Brandi about infamous routine. “Yup. That was my mom’s idea.”

The polarizing performance of “Party in the U.S.A.” featured Cyrus dancing around a pole on top of an ice cream cart, and was quickly met with criticism from parents and the media.

“She always lets me take the blame,” Cyrus said of the backlash she received. “When I got in trouble the next day, you know who was nowhere to be found? Tish Cyrus.”

Despite the negative reactions, the former “Hannah Montana” star said the performance holds a special place in her heart for a very different reason.

“It was the first time I ever wore real diamond jewelry onstage,” she recalled. “So you guys remember a little old ice cream truck. I remember the diamonds.”

Cyrus previously spoke about the routine in a September 2023 TikTok, saying the pole was for the purpose of “stability” and wasn’t meant to allude to what many assumed.

“[It was] apparently me dancing on an ice cream cart with a stripper pole, but it wasn’t a stripper pole, it was actually just for stability!” she explained. “I had a heel on! Like what did you want from me?”

Brushing off the haters, Cyrus ultimately concluded the performance “was amazing.”