If there’s one thing we know about Miley Cyrus, it’s that she always keeps it 100 percent real. And in her Wall Street Journal cover story, which came out on Tuesday, May 5, the “Mother’s Daughter” singer opened up about why it “doesn’t feel right” for her and other celebrities to openly talk about their quarantines amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“I know I’m in a unique position, and my experience with this pandemic is not like most everyone else’s in my country and around the world,” Cyrus told the outlet, acknowledging her privilege. “My life has been pushed pause on, but really I have no idea what this pandemic is like.” And with millions of people now unemployed, and several families concerned about how they’re going to pay rent or for basic necessities such as food, the pop star is right.
Cyrus went on to add that she’s blessed to have a roof over her head, and she also understands that while she’s financially stable, there are so many people who are not during this extremely uncertain and distressing time. “I am comfortable in my space and able to put food on my table and [I am] financially stable, and that’s just not the story for a lot of people,” she said.
One way Cyrus has been keeping busy while hunkering down at home has been with her Bright Minded Instagram talk show. But even though everyone has a lot more free time on their hands these days, Cyrus said that not every celebrity she reached out to were willing to join her as a guest on her show.
“I’m sure some people I was reaching out to felt the same way I do, which is that my experience is so rare, it almost doesn’t feel right to talk about,” she said, alluding to the fact that she’s in a better position than most to weather a pandemic. “I’m sure a lot of the hesitation for other people saying yes to doing the show is because it almost doesn’t feel right for celebrities to share our experience. Because it just doesn’t compare.”
The truth is, we all need a distraction from the crazy world around us right now, and Cyrus’s Bright Minded show offers exactly that. So as long as Cyrus and other celebrities acknowledge that most other people are not in as privileged positions as they are, we encourage them to continue using this time to create and open up conversations, just as Cyrus has been doing.
