The most surprising Hannah Montana cameos: From John Cena to Dwayne Johnson and even a Coronation Street soap star as show celebrates its 20th anniversary

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Miley Cyrus was only twelve years old when the first episode of Hannah Montana aired in March 2006. She was a young girl from Nashville, Tennessee at the time.

Despite having no prior acting experience, producers took a chance on the show, and it clearly worked out. It ran for three seasons with 85 episodes and even led to a spin-off series called Hannah Montana Forever.

Miley Cyrus acted with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, and over time, many famous faces made guest appearances in memorable episodes of her show.

Whether it was her actual godmother, Dolly Parton, or Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson – who fully committed to the experience with a complete makeover – she received incredible support.

The show featured several appearances by Disney Channel stars, like Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, and Miley Cyrus’s sister, Noah.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the show, and with a special coming to Disney+, we’re revisiting some of the most memorable cameos you might not have noticed.

John Cena

In 2010, professional wrestler John Cena appeared briefly in the last season of the show, playing a version of himself in a dream scene with the character Jackson.

Fans were surprised to discover that the actors who played Jason and John on the show are actually the same age – both are 48 years old, despite a 15-year age difference in the episode.

John, born on April 23, 1977, and Jason, born on April 26th, are only three days apart in age.

That means the pair were both 33 at the time.  

Dolly Parton

Because Dolly Parton is Miley’s real-life godmother, it made perfect sense for her to play Miley’s Aunt Dolly on the show.

Dolly made many appearances on the show, and Miley was the one who convinced producers to include her. This introduced Dolly to a new generation of fans.

Dolly and Miley have worked together on many projects, including a version of Miley’s song “Wrecking Ball” which was featured on Dolly’s 2023 album, Rockstar.

The pair famously shared the stage for an NBC New Year’s Eve special in 2023, and there’s talk that Miley Cyrus might play Dolly Parton in a potential biopic.

Dwayne Johnson 

Dwayne Johnson is a major Hollywood actor, but his appearance as a guest star in the Disney series was particularly noteworthy.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson guest stars in the second season, arriving to film a movie. However, he becomes the target of Miley and Lilly’s scheme to snap a compromising photo of him.

Disguised as hotel beauty experts, they went to his room and gave him a makeover.

Peter Gunn 

Fans with a keen eye might have been surprised to see an actor from Coronation Street make an appearance in the movie Hannah Montana: The Movie.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe this about Peter Gunn! I mean, he was the Brian Packham, the headteacher from Corrie – I watched every scene he was in! But get this – after leaving the cobbles of Weatherfield, he went and starred in a huge movie in California! It’s amazing, honestly. From school principal to a Hollywood film star – I knew he was talented!

Actor Oswald Granger played a reporter who trailed popstar Hannah back to her hometown in Tennessee, hoping to get an exclusive story.

Brooks Shields 

Although Miley Cyrus’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, actually played her father on the show as Robby Ray, her mother, Tish, wasn’t seen on screen.

At the start of the series, Miley Stewart’s mother had died, but she appeared throughout the show in flashbacks and dreams, portrayed by Brooke Shields.

Austin Butler 

Before Austin Butler became famous playing Elvis Presley, he wasn’t quite the teen idol he later became.

Austin, who played Miley’s blind date Derek Hanson, was noticeably nervous. He was fidgeting and even jumped into Miley’s arms, scattering popcorn in the process.

Rob Reiner 

Rob Reiner was famous for directing and starring in films like When Harry Met Sally and This Is Spinal Tap, but some people also remember him for a guest appearance on the TV show Hannah Montana.

In the third season, he plays himself while Hannah auditions for one of his movies. However, she intentionally tries to give a terrible audition by behaving like a demanding diva.

Donny Osmond 

Donny Osmond, the American singer, appeared briefly in the second series, playing the role of an auctioneer for a charity date with Hannah.

Swapping the stage for a bidding war, Hannah ended up on a double date with both Johnny and Rico. 

Alison Brie 

Miley’s brother Jackson was constantly getting into awkward situations as the stupid older brother. 

In one memorable scene, he demonstrated that love can make you do crazy things. He let Nina, a hairdresser played by Alison Brie, cut his hair… and she ended up shaving his head completely!

Lisa Rinna 

Lisa Rinna, known from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, unexpectedly appeared at the Stewart’s home, pretending to be Francesca, a relative of their neighbor, Mr. Dontzig. Mr. Dontzig is known for being overly enthusiastic about Robby Ray.

Joey Fatone 

NSYNC’s Joey Fatone had a standout role in the second season, playing Joey Vitolo, a retired baseball player who ran an Italian restaurant.

The celebrity persuaded Hannah to join him on stage, promising her an autograph. They both wore striking, metallic gold outfits during the performance.

Jon Cryer 

He is best known for Two And A Half Men, but Jon Cryer had a guest role as Lilly’s dad Ken. 

Although he was mentioned a lot during the show, he didn’t actually show up to visit Lilly until the third season.

Sheryl Crow 

While on the show, Hannah worked with many popular artists. For example, during the ‘Hannah Montana Forever’ series, she performed ‘Need A Little Love’ with Sheryl Crow.

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2026-03-24 15:44