Emily Osment & Mitchel Musso Break Silence On Hannah Montana After Skipping Anniversary Special!

The 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana is here! And to honor the special moment, Miley Cyrus put the iconic blonde wig back on to look back on the legendary Disney Channel series all these years later. There are a few familiar faces who appear on the special alongside her or attended the premiere this week, except for two notable figures — Emily Osment and Mitchel Musso, AKA Miley Stewart’s best friends! However, they still celebrated the amazing feat in heartfelt Instagram posts on Monday!

Hours before the premiere of the special, Emily, who portrayed Lilly Truscott, shared a video with her co-star, Montana Jordan, to tell fans she could not attend the reunion because she is busy filming her show, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. However, she still wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for the love and support over the years. Emily wrote in the caption:

“Hannah Montana changed my life, it gave me a lifelong respect for this medium of comedy, it taught me discipline, patience, timing and respect working in an adult space so young. I’ve met thousands of HM fans over the years, fans that now have children watching this show and fans that literally work beside me every day, like Montana. He’s seen every episode, don’t be fooled.”

The Young & Hungry alum continued:

“I can’t tell you what your sweet messages mean to me and how lucky I feel to have been apart of this once in a generation goliath of a television show. Thank you for letting me into your living rooms and I hope to still be there many years from now. Would never be where I am without you guys, working on another beautiful show I love so dearly. With all my heart, THANK YOU! Lilly”

Awww! See the tribute (below):

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A post shared by Emily Osment (@emilyosment)

FWIW, Emily and Miley’s friendship has always been under speculation, with Miley revealing in her 2009 autobiography that they never got along. She wrote, per Elite Daily:

“[We] tried to be friends, we really did, but it always ended in a fight… Our characters got along so well, why couldn’t we act the same in real life?”

So, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised she conveniently had other commitments…

For his part, Mitchel did not explain why he didn’t attend the special or premiere. There is seemingly no hard feelings, though. He also penned an emotional message for the 20th anniversary, saying:

“Hannah Montana wrapped around my heart and never really let go. We literally grew up with ya’ll — long days, crazy schedules, learning lines, cracking up between takes, and figuring out life while the cameras rolled. It taught me so many wonderful values, but the most important ‘to me’ is that laughter can get you through the tough days. That confidence still sticks with me every single day. To all of you who grew up right alongside us… your friends were our friends too. Like my Lillypop said on her post, so many of you building families of your own and sharing this wonderful story with your kids is a gift beyond words. It’s been the coolest part of HM.”

His “Lillypop.” We’re not crying, you are! Mitchell then gave a shout-out to the entire cast and crew, including Miley and Emily, for being his family over the years:

“Miley, Emily, Jason [Earles], Billy Ray [Cyrus], Moises [Arias], and the whole crew at Disney — you became my family through all the real, messy, beautiful moments. Thank you for believing in a goofy kid from Texas who wore some questionable outfits with a haircut like that. To all of you, thank you for welcoming me into your homes and hearts 20 years ago and still allowing me to be here today. I’m honored we get to share all of this together”

What a sweet tribute! Swipe to ch-ch-check out all the throwback pictures: