Abbey Romeo, the “Love on the Spectrum” star, met Miley Cyrus on Monday at the Los Angeles premiere of the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special,” and a video on Romeo’s Instagram shows the moment she finally stood in front of her childhood hero.
Romeo told Cyrus, “I felt like two people, like you in the show.” She added, “Because I’m on the autism spectrum, and I related to your show, and I used to love watching you growing up,” explaining that her regular self felt “average,” while her autistic side felt different — just as Miley Stewart hid a secret star side as Hannah Montana.
Abbey Romeo gets real honest about Hannah Montana’s impact
Miley Cyrus patiently listened to Abbey Romeo, smiling. The pop star then asked Romeo, “So what’s your big difference? Do you feel more confident as one? I feel more confident when I’m in the wig.” Stunned, Romeo slipped on sunglasses to match Cyrus and replied with a soft “Wow.”
The conversation turned to Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” with Cyrus calling it her “favorite movie of all time.” Romeo said she could resonate with Ariel’s lost voice, relating it to her own struggle to speak up in school. She admitted, “That’s exactly how I used to feel when your show aired.”
When Cyrus walked away to meet other guests, Romeo faced the camera, hand on her heart, saying, “I just met Miley. Heart’s racing,” while her mother wiped away tears. In her Instagram caption, Romeo wrote that Hannah Montana remains the way she “understands and manages her autism.” Moreover, she thanked Cyrus “for being an inspiration to so many people all these years.”
Romeo’s admiration for Miley Cyrus has surfaced before as well when she crossed paths with Noah Cyrus in an airport and broke into a duet of “He Could Be the One.” The encounter between Romeo and her superhero topped them all in fangirl moments, though. Romeo shared her truth, Cyrus heard it, and the exchange proved that a Disney Channel story from decades ago still has a huge impact on viewers.
Originally reported by Ishika Mishra on Reality Tea.
