In its first season, Hannah Montana paid Miley Cyrus $8,000 an episode — less than the two actors who lost the role would have been paid. In the same period, Disney was projecting that Hannah Montana and High School Musical together would drive $2.7 billion in retail sales. That gap is the whole story of her early money.
Miley Cyrus Net Worth: What the Sources Say
- $160 million — Celebrity Net Worth, the only figure in circulation
- Forbes publishes no net worth for her. Her Forbes profile lists age, source of wealth and residence — and no monetary valuation at all
- Our take: $160 million is directionally defensible, but the “according to Forbes” attached to it everywhere is false. See our methodology.
$8,000 an Episode Against a $2.7 Billion Franchise
The season-one salary figure comes from Ashley Spencer’s book Disney High, and the detail that makes it sting is the comparison: the other two finalists for the role, Taylor Momsen and Daniella Monet, were on track for $10,000 an episode. Cyrus was the cheapest option on the table. She has said she was “probably the least paid person on my cast.”
Meanwhile Disney’s consumer products chairman was telling The Hollywood Reporter that the two franchises combined were projected at $2.7 billion in retail sales for FY2008 — nearly seven times the $400 million of the year before. The licensing engine was the business. The star was a line item.
One number to distrust: the “$250,000 an episode by season four” claim appears only on content-farm sites with no primary source. The book-sourced $8,000 covers season one, and nothing comparable exists for the later seasons.
She Still Owns Her Catalog — and Almost No One Notes It
This is the most consequential fact about her balance sheet, and it goes almost entirely unmentioned. Cyrus has not sold her catalog. She appears on no catalog-sale tracker and in no industry coverage of such a deal.
Compare her peers who did: Britney Spears to Primary Wave for around $200 million, Katy Perry to Litmus for around $225 million, Justin Bieber to Hipgnosis for around $200 million. Those artists converted future royalties into a lump sum that shows up in any net worth estimate. Cyrus’s catalog — including Flowers, the best-selling global single of 2023 — remains an unmonetized asset. That cuts both ways: it is not in the $160 million, and it has not been cashed out either.
Her publishing sits with Universal on an administration deal signed in November 2013 covering Bangerz, on which she co-wrote 10 of 13 tracks. Administration is not ownership transfer — she kept the copyrights.
A Correction About Her Record Deal
Profiles frequently date her Columbia signing to 2018. It was March 2021, after she completed a three-album deal with RCA, and she was courted personally by Columbia’s CEO Ron Perry. Both labels are Sony — this was a move within the same parent company, not a departure from one.
“Flowers” Made History and Attracted a Lawsuit
Released in January 2023, “Flowers” spent eight non-consecutive weeks at #1, charted for 55 weeks, and became the fastest song ever to a billion Spotify plays at 112 days. The IFPI confirmed it as the best-selling global single of 2023, with 2.7 billion subscription-stream equivalents and simultaneous #1 positions in 29 markets. It won her first Grammys, including Record of the Year.
It also carries an open financial risk. Tempo Music Investments sued in September 2024, alleging similarity to Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.” In March 2025 a California federal judge refused to dismiss the case, rejecting the argument that Tempo lacked standing because it had acquired one co-writer’s rights without the others’ consent. The case targets her single most valuable asset and remains live.
She Has Not Toured in Over a Decade
For most artists at her level, touring is the largest income line. For Cyrus it is dormant. Her last full-scale world tour was Bangerz in 2014; the Attention Tour in 2022 was five shows. Live Nation’s own artist page currently states there are no upcoming shows.
Her verified tour grosses: Best of Both Worlds (2007–08) $54 million, Wonder World (2009) $66.96 million, Gypsy Heart (2011) $29.03 million, Bangerz (2014) roughly $63.7 million. She has said she made no profit on Bangerz — Forbes examined the claim in 2023 — which, given the production, is plausible.
One fabrication worth naming. Several sites report that she announced a 2026 North American stadium tour opening at Dodger Stadium on 10 June, promoted by Live Nation. This is not true. Live Nation lists no shows, Songkick has her off tour, and the originating site also dates her 2025 album to 2026. Treat it as spam.
Other Numbers With No Source Behind Them
The May 2021 NBCUniversal overall deal for three specials is real and verified. The “$40 million” attached to it is not — no dollar value was ever disclosed by Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter or TheWrap. Similarly unsourced: “$76 million from Forbes in 2017,” “$62 million from digital downloads per the RIAA,” “Flowers earned $14 million,” and “Forbes estimates she earned $134 million from Disney by 18.” None of these traces to a real publication.
Her Gucci relationship is genuine — fragrance ambassador since 2021, for the house’s centenary, renewed across four Flora releases. No financial terms have ever been disclosed, so any figure you see for it was invented.
Sources
- Celebrity Net Worth — Miley Cyrus
- The Hollywood Reporter — Disney’s $2.7 billion licensing projection
- IFPI — “Flowers” the best-selling global single of 2023
- Variety — Dismissal denied in the “Flowers” copyright case
- Music Business Worldwide — The UMPG publishing administration deal
- NME — The 2021 Columbia signing
Money Timeline
| Date | Type | Event | Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-11 | Deal | Signs a publishing administration deal with Universal | A global publishing administration deal with UMPG covering Bangerz, on which she co-wrote 10 of 13 tracks. No terms were disclosed. Administration is not a sale - she retained ownership of the copyrights, and has never sold her catalog, unlike Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. source | |
| 2014 | Tour | Bangerz Tour - her last full-scale world tour | $63.7M | Grossed roughly $63.7 million and remains her last full-scale world tour; the 2022 Attention Tour was five shows. Cyrus has said she made no profit on it, a claim Forbes examined in 2023. Reported grosses vary between $62.9 million and 'nearly $70 million' depending on the source. source |
| 2024-09 | Lawsuit | Sued over 'Flowers' - and the case survives dismissal | Tempo Music Investments alleged the song copies Bruno Mars' 'When I Was Your Man'. In March 2025 a California federal judge refused to dismiss, rejecting the argument that Tempo lacked standing after acquiring one co-writer's rights without the others' consent. The case remains live and targets her most valuable single asset. source |
Key financial events, aggregated from the sources cited above. See our methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the most common questions about this profile. For our sourcing and update method, see our Methodology page.
What is Miley Cyrus's net worth in 2026?
Celebrity Net Worth estimates $160 million, and it is the only figure in circulation. The 'according to Forbes' attached to it almost everywhere is false - her Forbes profile lists her age, source of wealth and residence, and carries no monetary valuation at all. Forbes' only verified Cyrus money reporting concerns annual earnings, not net worth. We publish $160 million as an aggregator estimate.
How much did Miley Cyrus earn from Hannah Montana?
$8,000 an episode in season one, per Ashley Spencer's book Disney High - less than the two actors who lost the role would have been paid, at $10,000. Cyrus has said she was 'probably the least paid person on my cast.' In the same period Disney projected that Hannah Montana and High School Musical together would drive $2.7 billion in retail sales. The '$250,000 an episode by season four' claim appears only on content farms with no primary source.
Has Miley Cyrus sold her music catalog?
No, and this is the most consequential thing about her balance sheet that almost nobody mentions. She appears on no catalog-sale tracker and in no industry coverage of such a deal. Her peers who did sell: Britney Spears to Primary Wave for around $200 million, Katy Perry to Litmus for around $225 million, Justin Bieber to Hipgnosis for around $200 million. Her catalog - including 'Flowers' - remains an unmonetised asset. Her Universal publishing deal from 2013 is an administration deal, not a sale.
Is Miley Cyrus touring in 2026?
No. Live Nation's own artist page states there are no upcoming shows and Songkick lists her as off tour. Her last full-scale world tour was Bangerz in 2014; the Attention Tour in 2022 was five shows. Several sites report a 2026 stadium tour opening at Dodger Stadium in June - that is fabricated, and the same source also misdates her 2025 album to 2026.
What is the lawsuit over 'Flowers'?
Tempo Music Investments sued in September 2024, alleging the song is too similar to Bruno Mars' 'When I Was Your Man'. In March 2025 a California federal judge refused to dismiss the case, rejecting the argument that Tempo lacked standing because it had bought one co-writer's rights without the others' consent. The case is live and it targets her single most valuable asset - 'Flowers' was confirmed by the IFPI as the best-selling global single of 2023.
Who is richer than Miley Cyrus?
A side-by-side comparison with other music profiles where reported estimates are available.
