Billy Ray Cyrus has accused his estranged wife Firerose of physical, verbal and emotional abuse.
The allegations come about a week after Firerose accused the country singer of similar mistreatments in their heated divorce proceedings.
Cyrus, 62, submitted new court documents in Tennessee on Monday.
The Achy Breaky Heart singer “vehemently” denied Firerose’s allegations that Cyrus subjected her to “extreme verbal, emotional and psychological abuse” during their nearly seven-month marriage.
Cyrus called the claims made by Firerose “mindboggling,” according to People Magazine, which obtained the court paperwork.
He filed to divorce Firerose, 36, on May 23, citing irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital conduct.
Firerose has denied any wrongdoing.
In her counter-complaint filed earlier this month, Firerose (real name Johanna Rose Hodges) said Cyrus was “unpredictable and volatile” and has substance abuse issues. She said she felt unsafe while living with Cyrus and accused him of continuous “verbal assaults.”
Lawyers for Cyrus wrote the singer was “certainly vocal, frustrated and angry” with Firerose in the month before filing for divorce but was never abusive.
“It is the plaintiff who, in fact, has been abused,” Cyrus’s lawyers responded. “Not only verbally and emotionally by the Defendant, but PHYSICALLY abused by Defendant.”
Cyrus’s music manager, Scott Adkins, submitted an affidavit claiming he witnessed Firerose abusing Cyrus.
According to ET News, Adkins said he saw Firerose “speak disrespectfully” and act “out of control towards Mr. Cyrus” in March, when Cyrus apparently received an invitation to perform Old Town Road with Nicki Minaj at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
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Adkins said Firerose, who is also a country singer, became “defensive” over the opportunity offered to Cyrus and “inserted herself” into the situation. Adkins said Cyrus told him Firerose was “hitting” him but asked his manager not to call police.
An unnamed representative for Firerose called the abuse allegations against her “false” and said the affidavit should not be trusted because Adkins is on Cyrus’s “payroll,” and thereby not credible.
Cyrus also denied several of Firerose’s other allegations made in her counter-complaint, namely that he asked for a divorce because she required a preventive double mastectomy. Firerose told the court she was diagnosed as a carrier of the BRCA1 gene mutation in 2020, which increases the risk of breast cancer.
Cyrus said Firerose had been aware of the diagnosis for years but did not share the information with him until they were married. He claimed Firerose threatened to ruin his career by telling the public he wanted to divorce her only days before her scheduled mastectomy.
The spokesperson for Firerose called Cyrus’s response about her double mastectomy a “cruel manipulation” of facts and slammed his “audacity to question a BRCA-positive women’s decision to undergo a preventative surgery.”
Lawyers for Cyrus have asked for “strict proof” of Firerose’s abuse allegations against him.
Firerose’s rep said Cyrus’s “story keeps evolving and this filing is simply another abusive tactic to distract away from the serious, true allegations brought against him, backed by an abundance of evidence.”
“What Billy Ray fails to recognize is when you have a decades-long history of emotional and psychological abuse, people start to take notice. The truth will come to light,” the statement concluded.
Since filing for divorce on May 22, Cyrus has accused Firerose of making 37 unauthorized charges on his credit cards, totalling about US$97,000 (about C$133,000).
He also accused Firerose of attempting to “isolate” him from at least one of his daughters, though he did not specify which child.
Cyrus asked the court for a temporary restraining order against Firerose.
The couple married in October 2023.
Cyrus is seeking to annul the marriage on the grounds of fraud, the exact details of which are unclear.
He was previously married to Tish Cyrus, though the couple divorced in April 2022 after 28 years of marriage. Together, they share five children: daughters Miley, Noah and Brandi, and sons Trace (who, like Brandi, was adopted by Cyrus) and Braison.
Cyrus also has one other child with his ex-girlfriend Kristen Luckey, son Christopher Cody. He was earlier married to Cindy Smith from 1986 until 1991, making Firerose his third wife.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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