Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose Settle Their Divorce Nearly 3 Months After Filing

• Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose divorced after seven months of marriage
• In a statement, Cyrus said he was “very relieved” to put the relationship behind him
• A source close to Firerose claims she left without any settlement

Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose have settled for divorce, PEOPLE confirms.

The decision comes after seven months of marriage and nearly three months after Cyrus, 62, filed for divorce from Firerose (formerly known as Johanna Hodges), 36, citing irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital behavior, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.

At the time of filing, the musician/actor also filed for annulment on the grounds of fraud.

Billy Ray Cyrus files for divorce from Firerose after 7 months of marriage due to ‘marital misconduct’

In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Monday, Aug. 5, Cyrus’ attorneys said the former couple reached a settlement agreement on Friday, Aug. 2.

“Last Friday, the parties reached a settlement agreement in mediation for the divorce of their 7-month marriage, and this morning the court declared the parties divorced,” said Rose Palermo and Jason Talley of Cheatham Palermo & Garrett. “Mr. Cyrus is relieved to put this nightmare behind him.”

They noted that “a few weeks ago, prior to mediation, Ms. Hodges legally changed her last name from ‘Hodges’ to ‘Cyrus,'” which Cyrus believes “supports his claim that his ex-wife’s only motivation is to marry him was to get his last name.”

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer said he was “very relieved” by the outcome of the proceedings.

“Thank you today for a breather,” Cyrus wrote.

He added that it was “unfortunate” that their relationship “turned out this way”.

“…It was a matter of the heart,” Cyrus concluded. “Love is blind … that’s for sure. BRC”

A source close to Firerose claims that she reported the last name change shortly after they got married.

“This was not something she just did last week, especially after the ongoing smear campaign by his team,” they told PEOPLE.

The insider also added that Firerose decided to “walk away without a fight for the money to end the volatile relationship and everything to do with Billy.”

The source also claims that Cyrus and his team “included a clause requiring Firerose to admit she lied about BRCA” in the settlement, which was “easily thrown out” when she showed her test results and medical records “to prove otherwise.” (Cyrus previously claimed that his ex had known for four years that she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, which means she has an increased chance of developing breast cancer, but was unaware of her condition until after they were married. Firerose claimed that Cyrus filed for a divorce in May just one day before she was scheduled to undergo a preventive double mastectomy.)

“Had this gone to trial, Firerose and her team would have provided a significant amount of evidence to prove that he fabricated a story to benefit his public image,” they said. “There’s no doubt she would have gotten a divorce, but it was much more important to her that this continuous smear campaign stop.”

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Firerose and Billy Ray Cyrus.

Jason Kempin/Getty

Billy Ray Cyrus filed for a temporary restraining order against Firerose after he claimed she spent $96,000 on his credit cards

Cyrus and Firerose got married in October 2023.

Since the country star filed for divorce in May, the split has been rocky, with both sides accusing the other of abuse in court filings.

The Australian singer accused Cyrus of “extreme verbal, emotional and psychological abuse” in documents filed on June 14, while her ex filed documents 10 days later alleging that Firerose verbally, emotionally and physically abused him.

In a separate filing, Cyrus claimed that Firerose “wage a campaign to isolate him” from his family, including banning him from communicating with one of his daughters; meanwhile Firerose said New York Post‘s Page Six in June that her ex had “very strict rules” and accused him of “systematic isolation.”

On July 10, Cyrus was granted an emergency request to freeze his estranged wife from using his credit cards after he claimed his ex spent $96,000 of his money after the divorce. At the time Cyrus originally made the emergency request, Firerose responded that there was in fact “no emergency” and claims that she had made 37 unauthorized charges were “untrue.”

The order stated that the former couple must “exchange statements of income and expenses, as well as statements of assets and liabilities” by July 11, and must have a “good meditation” by August 31 at the latest.

On Wednesday, July 24, PEOPLE obtained audio of a man who sounds like Cyrus berating and belittling Firerose.

The audio shows a man who appears to be Cyrus arguing with the singer-songwriter about being late to an event, which a Firerose source claims was a Nicki Minaj concert where Cyrus was invited to perform in Tennessee.

“It’s 9:15 you idiot. I was supposed to leave two hours ago,” Cyrus said in the recording obtained by PEOPLE.

“No, you’re not. You can still leave and make it on time,” Firerose replied.

During the conversation, Cyrus was heard telling his ex to “shut up” and calling her a “fucking selfish bitch”, while she asked him to “please stop screaming at me”.

Billy Ray Cyrus, Firerose.

Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty

Firerose posted a motivational quote amid her ongoing divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus

At the time, Cyrus’ attorneys shared a statement with PEOPLE calling the video “an apparent last-ditch effort to extort money from Mr. Cyrus” by Firerose “who made the video without telling Mr. Cyrus she was filming it.”

Amid the audio leak, Firerose shared an Instagram Story about “healing.”

“This week has been monumental in so many ways and I am so grateful for the outpouring of support,” she wrote. “There are so many great experts, books and resources on healing.”

Firerose added, “I promise there is light at the end of the tunnel. Keep educating yourself.”

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