Emily Osment couldn’t attend the Hannah Montana 20th anniversary special due to filming her CBS show Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, but shared heartfelt thanks to loyal fans.
Emily Osment from “Hannah Montana” did not appear in the show’s 20th anniversary special.
She played Lilly Truscott, Miley Stewart’s best friend opposite Miley Cyrus in the Disney Channel series. Emily shared that she couldn’t make it to the Disney+ special as she was busy filming her CBS show Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Even so, she took a moment on set to thank fans for always supporting her.
“Hannah Montana changed my life. It gave me a deep love for comedy and taught me discipline, patience, timing, and how to respect working in an adult setting at such a young age,” Osment shared in a March 23 Instagram video from the Georgie & Mandy set. In the video, she asked her costar Montana Jordan if he knew about “Hannah Montana,” but he acted like he didn’t. When he found out it was the show’s 20th anniversary, he joked, “Wow, y’all are old.”
Emily Osment at Los Angeles Comic Con 2025
Photo credit: Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Osment, who is 34 explained in the caption: “Over the years, I’ve met countless Hannah Montana fans. Some of them now have kids who watch the show, and some even work with me , like Montana. Don’t be fooled—he’s watched every single episode.”
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Emily Osment played Lilly on the show from 2006 to 2011. She also took on the role of Lola Luftnagle, Lilly’s alter ego, as Hannah’s best friend and assistant. The young cast included Mitchell Musso as Oliver, another close friend, Jason Earles as Miley’s goofy brother Jackson, and Moises Arias as Rico, Jackson’s mischievous sidekick. Miley Cyrus’ real dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, acted as her on-screen father, Robby Ray.
Osment reflected on the support fans continue to show even 20 years later. She admitted she might not have the chance to work on Georgie & Mandy if not for the success of “Hannah Montana.”
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“I can’t put into words how much your kind messages mean or how lucky I feel to have been part of this once-in-a-generation giant of a TV show,” she said. “Thank you for letting me into your homes. I hope I can keep being part of your lives for years to come. I wouldn’t be here without you all now working on another amazing show that means so much to me. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!”
The special, which dropped on Tuesday March 24, had actress and pop star Miley Cyrus sit down for a detailed chat with Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper. They talked about some of the biggest and most memorable moments from the series. The show also featured appearances by Selena Gomez and Miley’s parents, Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus.
During the interview, Miley reflected on her bond with Emily Osment from their time on the show. That role was Miley’s first big step into acting.
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“I felt like I had someone on my side because I didn’t know what I was doing,” Miley said. “I knew we’d back each other up when it came to our comedic timing how we performed, and even during rehearsals.”
Still, she thinks her first impression might not have been the best and shares a story about how she may have grossed out Emily Osment. “I did something so nasty. My usual order at Panda Express was plain white rice with Diet Coke poured on it instead of soy sauce. That’s just my thing. Emily looked at me like, ‘Who is this Southern girl they brought in?’” she said. “I come from the South in a way that’s hard to even explain.”
Source:
Taijuan Moorman (March 24, 2026). Emily Osment reveals real reason for ‘Hannah Montana’ reunion absence. USA Today. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/emily-osment-reveals-real-reason-125036942.html
Header Image: Emily Osment at Los Angeles Comic Con 2025
Photo credit: Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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