Billy Ray Cyrus Addresses Leaked Audio of Argument With Estranged Wife Firerose: 'I Was at My Wit's End'

Billy Ray Cyrus is speaking out after he was heard in an expletive-laced leaked audio scolding his estranged wife, Firerose (real name Johanna Rosie Hodges).

In a statement to ET, Billy Ray's divorce lawyers, Rose Palermo and Jason Talley ofCheatham Palermo and Garrett, claim the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer's estranged wife is the one who leaked the audio to the Daily Mail .

"On behalf of our client, Billy Ray Cyrus, we wish to respond to Ms. Hodges recent release to the press in an apparent last-ditch effort to squeeze money out of Mr. Cyrus ahead of our court ordered mediation scheduled for next week," the lawyers' statement begins. "As we previously stated and released back in June, we regret that Ms. Hodges has chosen to litigate this 7-month marriage in the press and has left Mr. Cyrus with no recourse but to set the record straight, once again. Mr. Cyrus previously admitted in a court filing that he had been very vocally frustrated and angry with Ms. Hodges during their 7-month marriage as he began to uncover more and more of Ms. Hodges true motives for marrying him."

As for the leaked audio, Billy Ray's attorneys claim Firerose "is the person who made the recording without telling Mr. Cyrus that she was recording him. Of course, she was intentionally on her best behavior since she knew the recording was being made. If Mr. Cyrus was truly the person that Ms. Hodges desires the court of public opinion to believe with the release of her one-sided recording, then it is mindboggling to try and explain why Ms. Hodges begged to return to live with him and for Mr. Cyrus to give her a chance to 'explain everything' after he filed to annul or dissolve their marriage."

The statement concluded, "Unfortunately, Ms. Hodges is attempting to litigate her case in the press for her own personal gain and in an attempt to harm our client's longstanding career, as she promised she would do if he tried to divorce her, which Mr. Cyrus alleged in a previous court filing. At this point Ms. Hodges has played her last card, while Mr. Cyrus, on the other hand, has much more material to present to the Court to demonstrate the lies that she made public throughout these proceedings."

Billy Ray also took to his Instagram Story, sharing, "Hell yeah I was at my wit's end. As every day went by, I started realizing something was wrong."

He ended his statement, "She was trying to take over my career, my life and usurp the Cyrus name for her own gain. See you in court."

In leaked audio obtained by the Daily Mail , Billy Ray is purportedly heard telling Firerose, "I don't think you're real smart, I've changed my mind on that s**t. What I think you are is a selfish f***ing b**ch. That's what you are."

Billy Ray filed for divorce from Firerose in May after less than a year of marriage. As for the reason behind the dissolution, Billy Ray cited "irreconcilable differences" and "inappropriate marital conduct."Under "Grounds for Annulment," Billy Ray noted "consent to Marriage was obtained by Fraud."

After Billy Ray filed for divorce, Firerose accused him of domestic abuse. He fired back in court documents claiming she was the physical, emotional and verbal abuser.

Cyrus Family Drama: Who's Who in Tish and Billy Ray's Extended Tree

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Cyrus Family Drama: Who's Who in Tish and Billy Ray's Extended Tree

Amid the divorce, a judge ruled this month that Firerose has " no legitimate reason " to "have access to and to make any additional charges" on his credit cards after he claimed in court that she spent more than $96,000 of his money after he filed for divorce from her.

Billy Ray, 62, and Firerose, 36,tied the knot on Oct. 10, 2023 in Franklin, Tennessee. They first met on theset of Hannah Montana , before becoming musical collaborators -- and got engaged in August 2022.

Billy Raywas previously married to Cindy Smith (1986-1991) and then Tish. Billy Ray and Tish tied the knot in December 1993 and divorced in April 2022 after nearly three decades of marriage. Billy Ray and Tish share three children -- Miley, 31, Braison, 30, and Noah, 24. Billy Ray also adopted Tish's children, Brandi, 37, and Trace, 35.

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