Alex Cooper Interviews Miley Cyrus for Hannah Montana Special

Alex Cooper's Hannah Montana Special: The Emotional Reunion Fans Are Talking About

Alex Cooper, the powerhouse podcaster behind Call Her Daddy, is dominating entertainment headlines once again — this time for her deeply personal role in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special. As the special premiered in late March 2026, Cooper took to Instagram Stories to reflect on the experience, teasing fans with the revelation that a significant amount of interview footage with Miley Cyrus never made the final cut. For anyone who grew up in the Hannah Montana era, this story hits close to home — and for Cooper, it hit closer than most.

Why Alex Cooper Was the Perfect Choice to Interview Miley Cyrus

When the producers of the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special were casting about for someone to sit down with Miley Cyrus, they didn't have to look far. Alex Cooper wasn't just a logical choice because of her podcast credentials — she was a die-hard fan who lived and breathed Hannah Montana as a kid. Cooper has openly shared that she remade music videos, filmed her own skits, joined the official fan club, and even attended the Meet Miley Cyrus/Best of Both Worlds Tour with her childhood best friend.

That personal history made Miley Cyrus's outreach all the more meaningful. According to Cooper, Cyrus personally called her to extend the invitation to participate in the special. It wasn't a booking request routed through publicists — it was a direct call from the star herself, signaling the kind of authentic connection that would define their on-screen conversation.

Cooper's emotional investment was palpable from the moment the special aired. She later described experiencing an "emotional hangover" in the aftermath, noting that the project "hit different" because of its deep ties to her childhood. That's a sentiment millions of fans who grew up watching the Disney Channel series can readily understand.

Two and a Half Hours of Interview — Only a Fraction Made the Cut

Here's where things get particularly intriguing for fans: the full interview Cooper conducted with Miley Cyrus clocked in at two and a half hours. The one-hour special that premiered could only accommodate a fraction of that conversation, leaving a treasure trove of content on the cutting room floor.

Cooper wasted no time stoking curiosity about what viewers didn't see. In her March 25, 2026 Instagram Stories, she teased that there is "so much good s---" that didn't make the final broadcast. Entertainment Weekly reported on Cooper's candid reflections, capturing the podcaster's enthusiasm about the depth of the conversation she had with Cyrus — conversations that went well beyond what audiences ultimately saw.

Cooper also revealed that her access to the special went beyond the interview itself. She got to witness behind-the-scenes rehearsals and gained insight into Cyrus's thought process as she prepared for the anniversary celebration. That level of access speaks to the trust Cyrus placed in Cooper — and it underscores why their conversation likely produced so much compelling, unused material.

Cooper's Chaotic Road to Podcasting Royalty

To fully appreciate Alex Cooper's current cultural standing, it helps to understand the turbulent journey that brought her here. Call Her Daddy launched in 2018 as a co-hosted venture between Cooper and Sofia Franjlyn under the Barstool Sports umbrella. The podcast quickly became a phenomenon, blending frank discussions about sex, relationships, and pop culture with an irreverent energy that resonated powerfully with millennial and Gen Z women.

The show's rise was so meteoric that Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy openly acknowledged that Call Her Daddy was essentially helping keep the lights on at the company. That kind of leverage, however, also set the stage for conflict.

In March 2020, the podcast abruptly stopped releasing episodes amid a very public contract dispute between Cooper, Franjlyn, and Barstool Sports. The Tab detailed the chaotic drama that nearly derailed Cooper's career entirely during this period — a saga involving leaked negotiations, public statements, and the very real possibility that one of the hottest podcasts in America would simply cease to exist.

Cooper ultimately navigated the fallout, eventually parting ways with Franjlyn and continuing Call Her Daddy as a solo host. The move proved to be the right call. Cooper later secured a landmark deal with Spotify, cementing her status as one of the most commercially successful podcasters in the world. The show evolved from its early provocateur roots into a platform capable of landing some of the biggest interview subjects in entertainment.

From Fan Girl to A-List Interviewer

The Hannah Montana special is just the latest milestone in what has become an impressive interview portfolio for Cooper. Over the years, she has sat across from cultural heavyweights including Kim Kardashian and Hailey Bieber, turning Call Her Daddy into a destination for candid celebrity conversations that traditional media outlets often can't replicate.

What sets Cooper apart as an interviewer is her willingness to go there — to ask the questions that audiences are actually thinking, and to create a conversational environment where subjects feel comfortable being genuinely vulnerable. That skill set, combined with her authentic fandom, made her an ideal fit for a retrospective as emotionally layered as the Hannah Montana anniversary.

In a separate example of her instincts as an interviewer, Cooper reportedly received a critical update on interview subjects Jessi Draper and Jordan Ngatikaura just two minutes before their Call Her Daddy appearance — a testament to the fast-moving, high-stakes nature of live podcast production that she has clearly mastered.

What the Hannah Montana Special Means for Cooper's Brand

For Cooper's personal brand, the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special represents something more than a high-profile booking. It's a full-circle moment that connects the entertainer she has become with the young fan she once was. That authenticity is enormously valuable in today's media landscape, where audiences can smell manufactured enthusiasm from a mile away.

Cooper's willingness to be openly emotional about the experience — describing an "emotional hangover" and acknowledging how deeply the project affected her — is exactly the kind of vulnerability that has driven Call Her Daddy's loyal audience. She isn't performing fandom for the cameras; she is genuinely living it, and that resonates.

The buzz around the unseen interview footage also opens up intriguing possibilities. Whether that content eventually surfaces in some form — on Call Her Daddy, as a standalone release, or through another platform — remains to be seen. But the appetite for it is clearly there.

Frequently Asked Questions About Alex Cooper and the Hannah Montana Special

How long was Alex Cooper's full interview with Miley Cyrus?

Alex Cooper conducted a two-and-a-half hour interview with Miley Cyrus for the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special. However, the final one-hour special only included a portion of that conversation, leaving a significant amount of footage unused.

Why did Alex Cooper get emotional about the Hannah Montana special?

Cooper grew up as a devoted Hannah Montana fan — she remade music videos, made skits, joined the fan club, and attended the Best of Both Worlds Tour. The personal connection to her childhood made the experience uniquely emotional, leading her to describe it as an "emotional hangover" that "hit different."

How did Alex Cooper get involved in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special?

Miley Cyrus personally called Cooper to invite her to participate in the special, bypassing the typical industry channels. The direct outreach reflected a genuine connection between the two and gave Cooper extraordinary access, including behind-the-scenes rehearsal time.

What happened to Call Her Daddy in 2020?

In March 2020, Call Her Daddy stopped releasing episodes due to a high-profile contract dispute between Cooper, co-host Sofia Franjlyn, and Barstool Sports. The feud played out publicly and nearly ended the podcast entirely. Cooper eventually continued the show as a solo host and later signed a major deal with Spotify.

Will the unseen interview footage with Miley Cyrus be released?

As of now, there is no confirmed release plan for the full interview. Cooper has teased on Instagram Stories that there is significant compelling content that didn't air, but whether it will be published on Call Her Daddy or another platform remains unclear.

Conclusion

Alex Cooper's involvement in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special is a story about more than celebrity access — it's about the rare intersection of professional achievement and personal meaning. For a podcaster who built her platform on raw authenticity, getting to interview Miley Cyrus about a show that shaped her childhood isn't just a career highlight; it's a full-circle moment that adds genuine depth to her public story.

With a two-and-a-half hour interview's worth of content whittled down to fit a one-hour broadcast, fans have every reason to hope that more of this conversation eventually sees the light of day. Until then, Cooper's Instagram reflections and the buzz surrounding the special are keeping the Hannah Montana nostalgia cycle very much alive — and keeping Alex Cooper squarely at the center of the entertainment conversation.