HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Billy Ray Cyrus let off some steam on NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday morning, making his first televised comments since his daughter Miley’s controversial photo shoot for Vanity Fair magazine earlier this year.
“I didn’t know they were going to strip her down and wrap her in a blanket,” he told anchor Meredith Vieira.
As for the seemingly topless shot of his 15-year-old daughter taken by notorious photographer Annie Leibovitzof, the “Nashville Star” host said, “I was surprised when I saw it … but, hey, that’s life. Stuff happens.”
Billy Ray said he didn’t complain about the photo simply because, “My dad always said, ‘The more you stomp in poop, the more it stinks.’ “
As for a second controversial photo, which showed the “Hannah Montana” star in her father’s lap, the “Achy Breaky Heart” crooner said, “That’s just a daddy who loves his daughter a whole lot.”
The Disney star apologized to her fans shortly after the photos became public.
“I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed,” she said in a statement through her publicist. “I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.”
