Hannah Montana star Drew Roy isn’t letting any drama surrounding the Miley Cyrus’ 20th anniversary special keep him from celebrating the occasion — even if the pop star herself threw some shade his way.
“Twenty years? Wow, it’s hard to believe,” Roy, 39, said in a Wednesday, April 1, Instagram video. “Although, looking at my face it makes sense. But, seriously, I had to come on and say thank you. Man, these last couple of weeks with everything leading up to the Hannah-versary has just been so exciting to watch and to see everybody again. Man, it has just taken me down memory lane.”
Roy notably played Cyrus’ love interest Jesse on season 3 and 4 of Hannah Montana, which aired from 2006 to 2011 on Disney Channel. Jesse was the guitar player in Hannah Montana’s band, who eventually sparked a romantic interest in the pop star. Hannah/Miley Stewart (Cyrus), however, was dating Jake Ryan (Cody Linley) at the time, which soon set off one of Disney’s most iconic love triangles.
While Hannah/Miley initially chose Jake — much to many fans’ disappointment, as he had previously cheated on her — the pair ultimately called it quits and she started seeing Jesse in the final episodes.
Cyrus, 33, celebrated the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana last month with a Disney+ special, where “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper asked her to choose Team Jake or Team Jesse once and for all. Cyrus picked Jake because Linley, 36, “always” had nice comments to say about her in the press, while she hasn’t heard a “peep” from Roy. Linley was also present at the Hannah Montana red carpet event, while Roy was not.
Roy’s wife, Renee Gardner, subsequently shut down any rumors about why her husband was absent from the red carpet.
“In case anyone has been wondering where Jesse is. To say that Drew having this opportunity was incredible is an understatement,” Gardner wrote via Instagram. “He loves being on any set. He’s worked with some incredible people and made lifelong friends. Then life happened. We got married. We had babies. We love L.A. and all of the opportunities it provides, but we wanted to quiet it down. So, we moved to a place where our boys can be with cousins, play outside with the best neighbors and just be normal.”
Gardner also allegedly “liked” social media comments that shaded Cyrus for seemingly calling out Roy’s absence from the special.
“I hated how she talked about him,” one fan wrote, while another added, “Miley’s just jealous because he’s happy.”
While Roy did not react to Gardner’s comments, he further expressed his gratitude for being part of Hannah Montana.
“I don’t think you guys realize I came from a small little town in the South and to get plucked out of there and to be put into a situation like this,” he said on Wednesday. “To get to play Jesse on Hannah Montana, this wave that was already going with such incredible talent with Miley and Emily [Osment] and the entire cast. My goodness, they are absolutely hilarious.”
Roy added, “Just trying to rise to that occasion, man, so many memories and such a good time. I just want to thank you guys. I honestly feel like I have lived the best of both worlds, you know that was my time in L.A. and we’ve moved, I’m married now.”
According to Roy, he also watched the Disney+ special with his “amazing wife.”
“I was telling her all the stories from behind the scenes,” Roy said. “We have two awesome kids. My kids’ friends love Hannah Montana. I mean, it just continues on and on.”
Roy, who now works as an airline pilot, gushed that it was equally incredible to watch Cyrus’ career continue to soar since their Disney days.
Hannah Montana: 20th Anniversary Special is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney
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