Tish Cyrus admitted she was “self-medicating” with cannabis after her “tragic” divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus and the death of her mother, Loretta Finley.
“I’ve always been open about being a marijuana smoker,” she told host Tay Lautner during an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of the podcast “The Squeeze.”
“I’ve always had a little bit of anxiety. I think at the time, it was almost like medicine for me, because I was a big believer in plant medicine. And I guess when I lost my mother and my marriage fell apart, it was like self-medicating in a way. I didn’t even realize I was doing it for that.”
“I think it numbed the pain a little bit,” she shared, adding that when she first decided to quit, “I was in complete anxiety to the point where I couldn’t function. And I didn’t know what was going on.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Tisch, 58, further explained how she came to rely on the habit after experiencing the separation and death of her mother, calling both events “probably two of the most tragic events” in her life.
“I didn’t even process myself or stop and really think about it,” Tisch said of his “very difficult” year.
Finley, who Tish’s daughter Miley Cyrus affectionately called “Mommy,” died in 2020 at the age of 85.
“I was very close to my mom, and the kids were very close to their mom,” Tisch said, adding that Mamie lived with Miley for a while while she was filming the Disney show “Hannah Montana.”
“After it was all over, we gave her a little house right next to our house. She was a big part of our lives.”
She continued, “She and Miley were very close. She went on set with Miley and the kids were the only ones who adored her…When she passed away, not long after that, my marriage started to fall apart.”
Tish filed for divorce from her ex-husband Billy Ray, 64, in April 2022 after 29 years of marriage. She cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their breakup and claimed that she has not lived with the Breaky Heart singer since February 2020, according to court documents.
Ultimately, Tish credits therapy with helping her get through a difficult period in her life.
“When we started therapy and we started really talking about our lives and our kids who are out here and working and what our lives were, they were like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.'”
Since then, Tish has had a “beautiful relationship” with her new husband Dominic Purcell, and they tied the knot in August 2023.
“It was very safe,” she told Lautner of their relationship, adding, “There was no drama.”
“I think it gave me this place to stop and feel all the emotions,” she said.
Still, she said, “For me, it couldn’t have been more painful… I think for anyone who’s ever experienced that level of anxiety, it’s horrible. It was really bad and it lasted a long time. And I’m really learning how to deal with it now, and I’m much better. That year, like I wasn’t functioning, I was just trying to survive.”
