Robby Stewart - Similarity To Billy Ray Cyrus

Similarity To Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray Cyrus inspired many aspects of the Robby Stewart character. Both men are country musicians from Tennessee and share a middle name. Cyrus's real life relationship with Miley Cyrus is identical to Robby's relationship with Miley Stewart in the show. Miley Cyrus has said in interviews that the show's writers received inspiration for the show by listening to her and her father talking. Also, the depiction of Robbie Ray as a has-been country star is meant to poke fun at Cyrus's own music career, which by some was labeled a one hit wonder before the popularity of Hannah Montana.

Robby and other characters on Hannah Montana occasionally reference Cyrus's real-life music and television careers.

• In "It's a Mannequin's World" Robby cracks his back walking underneath a limbo stick and cries out "Oh, my achy breaky back!" This is a reference to the song "Achy Breaky Heart," Cyrus's signature song.
• In "Ooo, Ooo, Itchy Woman" Robby asks a musically gifted mouse if it can play "Achy Breaky Heart" on the piano.
• In "On the Road Again" it is revealed that "I Want My Mullet Back," a song from Cyrus's 2006 album Wanna Be Your Joe, is also one of Robbie Ray's signature hits.
• In "New Kid in School" Robby does an exaggerated "impersonation" of Billy Ray Cyrus wearing a mullet wig.
• In "Get Down, Study-udy-udy" Robby sings "I Want My Mullet Back" and "Wanna Be Your Joe" from his 2006 album Wanna Be Your Joe.
• In "I Am Hannah, Hear Me Croak" Jackson says his dad would know a good doctor, a reference to Cyrus's role on the television series Doc.
• In "My Best Friend's Boyfriend" Robby made fun of "those stupid dance shows" on television. Cyrus appeared on the fourth season of Dancing with the Stars.
• The episode titled "Achy Jakey Heart (Part 1 & 2)" are reference to "Achy Breaky Heart".
• In "Achy Jakey Heart, Part 2" Robby's line "Good night, Nurse Nichol." was a reference to Nurse Nancy Nichols, a character on Doc.
• In "Sleepwalk This Way," Robby has a Gibson Dove he names "Lucky Lulu." This is Cyrus personal guitar which he has performed with outside of the show, even calling it "Lucky Lulu."
• In "I Want You to Want Me... to Go to Florida" Robby writes the song "Ready, Set, Don't Go" for Miley. This song, which appeared in Cyrus's 2007 album Home at Last, was written by Billy Ray Cyrus for Miley Cyrus.
• In "Everybody Was Best Friend Fighting" a palm reader (Karina Smirnoff, who was Cyrus's partner on Dancing with the Stars), tells Robby that she sees him dancing in front of many people. Robby says that he's not much of a dancer. The palm reader replies that she can see that too.
• In "Bye Bye Ball" Robby watches Hannah and Joey Vitolo (Joey Fatone) dancing and comments "If I could dance like that I'd give myself a 10," referencing to his appearance on Dancing with the Stars. Fatone had appeared on the show on the same season Cyrus performed.
• In "The Way We Almost Weren't," Jackson and Miley experience a flashback to June 2, 1987 where they meet Robby in a New Mexico cafe. He is trying to write "Achy Breaky Heart," but is struggling with the right adjectives, first trying "itchy twitchy" and "herky jerky." When Jackson suggests "achy breaky," Robby dismisses it as "the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
• In "Can't Get Home to You Girl", a fan of Robby Ray offer to take Miley and Robby to the airport in Tucson. He refers to Robby as "Mullet Man" and "The Achy Breaky Robby Ray",and asks him for a picture. Later, they are shown on the road in the fan's truck, singing "I Want My Mullet Back".

Since Billy Ray Cyrus impersonated himself with his character, this hints that Cyrus and his daughter Miley may exist in the show's universe.