Miley Cyrus Tells Never-Before-Heard REAL Story Of Her Topless Vanity Fair Photoshoot!

Miley Cyrus‘ new era is all about looking back.

To celebrate her new single Used To Be Young, the pop star — now 30 years old — is looking back at her career in a TikTok series called the Endless Summer Vacation (backyard sessions). Wednesday night she brought it back to one of the most controversial chapters in her early years — the Annie Liebovitz photo.

For those who don’t know, back in early 2008, a 15-year-old Miley — known best for her work as Disney‘s Hannah Montana — did a much more, shall we say, mature photoshoot than anyone expected.

The pics included one in which she was topless — covered up, but still showing the camera her nude back. It was a scandal and a half back then. Just seeing the pic as a prompt to tell her side, she blanched:

“We gotta go there. 2008.”

Miley had to apologize after the outrage of an underage Disney star posing nearly nude — something she took back a decade later.

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But the Wrecking Ball singer isn’t afraid to tell her truth now! Opening up about what the shoot was really like, she told fans:

“Everybody knows the controversy of the photo, but they don’t really know the behind-the-scenes, which is always much more meaningful.”

One of the big differences people would be surprised by? The whole thing was a family affair! Complete with an 8-year-old Noah Cyrus!

“My little sister Noah was sitting on Annie‘s lap and actually pushing the button of the camera, taking the pictures. My family was on set.”

Obviously we knew Billy Ray Cyrus was there; he was part of the shoot. But the image of lil Noah snapping pics certainly takes the edge off the image we’re sure many have had for years of an exploitative, predatory photoshoot. That was certainly the image Disney tried to push, blaming VF at the time in a statement saying she was manipulated:

“Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines.”

Does Miley’s memory of it all change YOUR view??

In any case, Miley remembers the risk paying off, as this was actually exactly the aim of the photos — to put some distance between herself and her TV alter ego:

“And this was the first time I ever wore red lipstick because Pati Dubroff, who did my makeup, thought that that would be another element that would divide me from Hannah Montana. This image of me is the complete opposite of the bubblegum pop star that I had been known for being, and that’s what was so upsetting. But really, really brilliant choices looking back now from those people.”

Sounds like Miley doesn’t have any regrets!