Billy Ray Cyrus Fires Back: Why He Plays for Presidents on Both Sides of the Aisle
When the president asks, you do it — Billy Ray Cyrus says his father’s rule explains why he’s performed for presidents of both parties.
File this under: celebrity bookings that confuse everybody until the artist explains it. Billy Ray Cyrus just laid out why he keeps saying yes to presidential gigs no matter who wins, and yeah, it tracks once you hear the family backstory.
The family rule that keeps sending him to the White House
In a new Sky News interview on Tuesday, April 14, Cyrus, 64, said this goes back to his dad, a Democrat who served in the Kentucky legislature for more than two decades. The marching orders were simple:
"When the president asks you to do something, you do it, son."
By that logic, Cyrus has performed for presidents on both sides: Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, and Donald Trump. He also kept it diplomatic about the job itself:
"Being president's a tough job. I pray for our country. I pray for our president and I pray for our world."
About that 2025 Liberty Ball performance
Cyrus grabbed headlines in 2025 when he headlined the Liberty Ball, one of the celebrations marking Trump returning to office. The set turned into a live-TV adventure after his gear acted up. He pushed through and closed with an acoustic version of his 1992 classic "Achy Breaky Heart."
On mic, he kept it loose while the techs scrambled: "Check? Is anybody awake? Y'all want me to sing more or you want me to just get the hell off the stage?" Then he shrugged off the mess with a nod to the boss of the evening: "In life, when you have technical difficulties, you just gotta keep going. Or as President Trump would say, 'You gotta fight.'"
The morning-after defense
One day later, he backed his decision in a statement to People. Paraphrasing: he was not going to skip the invite, busted mic or not, because President Donald J. Trump asked him to be there, and he had a blast at the Liberty Ball anyway. He also dropped the old performer mantra about answering the call when the producer says you are on, even if the equipment goes to hell. He summed it up as straight-up rock n roll.
Who else played the inaugural events
- Carrie Underwood
- Christopher Macchio
- Lee Greenwood
- Jason Aldean
- Gavin DeGraw
- Rascal Flatts
- Parker McCollum
- Kid Rock
- the Village People
- the Liberty University Praise Choir
And the Instagram capper
Later, Cyrus posted Fox News footage from the Liberty Ball and called it "the most fun part" of the night, adding that if you missed it, well, you had to be there. He even winked at his own lyrics from "Achy Breaky Heart": "I just don't think you understand."
Bottom line: whether you love the booking or hate it, he is consistent. The president calls, he shows up. Blame (or credit) dad.