Nostalgic millennials were delighted to return to the Malibu home of Miley Stewart, a.k.a. Hannah Montana, when Disney Plus dropped the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special last night in honor of the show’s milestone birthday. But while Hannah herself, Miley Cyrus, was game to sing songs and answer questions alongside her father, Billy Ray Cyrus—who also played her dad on the show—viewers couldn’t help but notice the lack of costars.
A show isn’t just one person, and Hannah Montana was also about Miley’s brother, Jackson (Jason Earles), and best friends Lilly (Emily Osment) and Oliver (Mitchel Musso). Earles was at the special’s red-carpet premiere, but Osment and Musso took to Instagram to share their Hannah Montana memories in lieu of participating in the anniversary special.
Miley Cyrus and Emily Osment in Hannah MontanaIsabella Vosmikova
Osment posted a quick video to Instagram from the set of her current sitcom, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, explaining that her filming schedule prevented her from participating in the show. In the caption, she wrote, “Hannah Montana changed my life, it gave me a lifelong respect for this medium of comedy, it taught me discipline, patience, timing, and respect working in an adult space so young…I can’t tell you what your sweet messages mean to me and how lucky I feel to have been apart of this once in a generation goliath of a television show…Would never be where I am without you guys, working on another beautiful show I love so dearly. With all my heart, THANK YOU! ♥️ Lilly.”