Billy Ray Cyrus’ divorce just got messier… a LOT messier…
We recently learned the country singer filed for divorce last month from Firerose — after only seven months of marriage. He cited “irreconcilable differences” and “inappropriate marital conduct,” even asked the court for an annulment alleging their union was obtained fraudulently! What does Billy mean by “inappropriate marital conduct?” Well, we soon got more insight into their lives together post-nuptials.
According to Us Weekly, the estranged couple fought all the time, and their relationship was “toxic at times.” A source told the outlet that everything reached a breaking point when Billy Ray later accused Firerose “of cheating.”
And it’s not just the infidelity the Hannah Montana alum has an issue with! On top of everything else, he asked for a temporary restraining order! Why? He claimed in court docs that Firerose stole A LOT of money from him following their separation on May 22. We’re talking almost $100,000 in credit card charges! Damn!
Now, Firerose has responded to the divorce filing with her own disturbing allegations! According to People on Tuesday, the 36-year-old musician accused Billy Ray of “extreme verbal, emotional and psychological abuse” in a counter-complaint filed in Tennessee on June 14. She claimed the actor’s struggles with substance abuse make him “unpredictable and volatile” towards her:
“Wife was the victim of extreme verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse. Wife was subjected to Husband’s persistent drug use accompanied with the consumption of marijuana which made Husband unpredictable and volatile towards Wife.”
Marijuana made him volatile? Hmm. Firerose denied ever engaging in inappropriate marital conduct at any point. Instead, she claimed HE was the one who acted inappropriately during their marriage. Things were so bad behind closed doors that living together became “unsafe.”
Whoa…
In the weeks leading up to the divorce filing, she claimed, their relationship got really bad. The complaint states that Firerose was diagnosed as a carrier of the BRCA1 gene mutation back in 2020. After having an MRI in March of this year, her doctors “highly recommended” she undergo a preventative double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. Firerose scheduled the first procedure for May 24.
However, the weeks before her surgery were complete “chaos” as Billy Ray allegedly “continuously launched verbal assaults” and threatened to kick her out of their home and file for divorce. Firerose alleged she “walked on eggshells” around him, and that he placed her “into an emotional and psychological prison.” The complaint continued:
“When Wife would attempt to voice certain concerns, Husband would often call her a ‘selfish f**king bitch’ and continually alleged that she was using him. With Wife’s major surgery date looming, she was reasonably afraid to leave or seek any type of help because she feared that Husband would interfere with her surgery or her lengthy recovery at home.”
Well, Billy Ray followed through with the threat — less than 24 hours before her mastectomy, apparently! Firerose said she was “ambushed” with divorce papers on May 23 and forced to leave their home. For three-and-a-half hours that day, she claimed her estranged husband’s brother and sister-in-law banged on her bedroom door demanding she leave, even though they previously offered to take her to the surgery the next day and help her recover!
Complicating the situation further, the documents stated Billy Ray paid for her health insurance and “was prepared” to pay for surgery expenses that weren’t covered — and he’s now walked back on that promise:
“Wife relied on Husband’s promises to pay for her surgery, and Husband has now repudiated that promise. On the day Wife was set to get her surgery, she was instead searching for a place to live and under a significant amount of emotional distress.”
Firerose eventually left their marital home. She also was forced to postpone her surgery “indefinitely” since she had nowhere to live and now no way of covering the operation. Oof. How awful of him — if this is true!
And there are more accusations against Billy Ray! Firerose also accused the Achy Breaky Heart singer of attempting to sabotage her career “in retaliation.” The pair apparently hired the same manager and booking agent in August 2023. However, she claimed they “terminated their services” with her within three hours of each other at Billy’s command. Due to his “interference” with her career, she allegedly lost $415,000 and now requests alimony from him. The complaint concluded:
“The accumulation of years of verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse, combined with the fact that Husband has had a direct hand in restricting Wife’s access to income and future opportunities, Wife has developed severe emotional distress from Husband’s actions. Wife has had to seek psychological treatment from her therapist for emergency sessions on more than one occasion.”
“Severe emotional distress”? Whoa. Billy Ray has not addressed the accusations yet. Reactions to the latest in their nasty divorce, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org
[Image via The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube, MEGA/WENN]
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