The clip of Miley ‘ripping a bong’ and ‘saying dumb shit’ caused mass controversy when it was shared by TMZ in 2010
Miley Cyrus has reshared that infamous video of her smoking a bong with friends to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Posted publicly by TMZ in December 2010, the video caused widespread controversy for Cyrus, then 18 and fresh from Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana.
“Happy 10 year anniversary to the groundbreaking video of a teenager smoking a bong and saying dumb shit to their friends,” Cyrus wrote in the caption to her recent post. “Not sure the director of this fine film should be considered a ‘friend’ but… time really flew by. I remember this like it was yesterday... J/K I don’t remember shit cause I was fucked the hell up.”
Cyrus also confirms that the bong itself was filled with salvia – a legally-sold plant – as originally claimed back in 2010. In a 2011 interview with Marie Claire, she addressed the video, saying: “I’m not perfect... I made a mistake... I’m disappointed in myself for disappointing my fans.”
Of course, Cyrus has been no stranger to controversy over the course of her career. In 2019, she opened up about her past on Twitter, discussing the pressure on celebrities to be perfect. “It is no secret that I was into partying in my teens and early 20s,” she said. “I have not only smoked, but advocated for weed, I’ve experimented with drugs.”
“I can accept that the life I’ve chosen means I must live completely open and transparent with my fans who I love, and the public, 100 per cent of the time. What I cannot accept is being told I’m lying to cover up a crime I haven’t committed. I have nothing to hide.”
Earlier this year, Cyrus told Rick Owens about a UFO encounter she once had while she was stoned. In a conversation for Interview, she claimed that she was “chased down by some sort of UFO,” though she added: “I’d also bought weed wax from a guy in a van in front of a taco shop, so it could have been the weed wax.”
In June 2020, the Plastic Hearts singer told Variety that she’s now sober. “I’ve been sober sober for the past six months,” she said, explaining that the decision began when she had vocal surgery. “It’s really hard because especially being young, there’s that stigma of ‘you’re no fun‘,” she continued. “It’s like, ‘honey, you can call me a lot of things, but I know that I’m fun’.”