Billy Ray Cyrus responds to son's concerned post with achy, breaky legal action

After last week’s performance at the Liberty Inaugural Ball, which saw singer and Miley Cyrus’ father, Billy Ray Cyrus, strumming along to the “Old Town Road” music video and wondering why his guitar got cut off, numerous members from within the Cyrus family inner circle expressed concern. The 63-year-old country star’s 25-year-old ex-wife, singer Firerose, said she was “genuinely worried” about Cyrus, stating that “what’s being seen in public now reflects much of what I experienced in private during our relationship.” His estranged son, Trace, published an open letter to his father on Instagram, writing, “You’re not healthy & everyone is noticing it.”

Though he’s never been quiet about Satan and David Lynch destroying his life and family, Billy Ray didn’t blame Big Red for this one. He “had a ball at the Liberty Ball” and blamed equipment issues for any hiccups, but, hey, “that’s called rock n roll!!!” He assures fans that he “wouldn’t have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not. I was there because President Donald J. Trump invited me.”

While he was happy to rock the house for President Trump (“that’s called rock n roll!!!”), he was less impressed by his son’s words of concern. In the new dispatch from Trace’s Instagram, Billy Ray reportedly threatened his son with “legal action for wanting you to get help.” Trace’s latest letter to his father seemingly enters the tough love portion of their public dispute. Trace, who says his message was “beyond loving,” acknowledges that he “could have been extremely honest about a lot more” but didn’t want to put his father’s “business out there like that.” However, bringing the lawyers into this was beyond the pale. “For you to threaten me with legal action for wanting you to get help is a disgrace,” he wrote before invoking who we assume is Billy Ray’s deceased father. “Pappy is looking down at you with such disappointment, I can assure you. You should be ashamed of yourself.” As a result, though Trace will “always love” his father, he no longer respects him “as a man.” “Everyone close to you is terrified to tell you how they really feel. I’m not. Get help.”

Additionally, Trace Cyrus also posted several Instagram Stories [per Pedestrian] about his father, including Father’s Day 2022 (“The last good day I had with my dad”) and a picture of his father getting a COVID booster while wearing a shirt that says “Jesus is my booster.” After acknowledging the irony of the shirt, Trace continued that he hadn’t heard from his father. “He did contact a family member to let me know he’s taking legal action against me for encouraging him to get help,” Trace wrote. “Dad I live 30 minutes away from you. You could’ve just come & talked to me like a man.”