Hannah Montana fans are getting ready to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary, but one familiar face will be absent: Emily Osment.
The actress, who played Lilly Truscott, the best friend of Miley Cyrus’ Miley Stewart in the show, shared the disappointing news in a Monday, March 23, Instagram video.
“Montana, have you ever heard of the show Hannah Montana?” she asked her Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage costar Montana Jordan in the clip. Jordan responded that he’d “never heard of it,” prompting Osment, 34, to explain that “tomorrow is the 20-year anniversary of the premiere.” (Hannah Montana premiered on Disney Channel on March 24, 2006.)
Jordan, 23, asked his costar, “Where are we at right now, though?” referring to the set of CBS’ Georgie & Mandy, a spinoff of The Big Bang Theory prequel series Young Sheldon.
‘Hannah Montana’ Cast: Where Are They Now?
Osment explained, “We’re at Georgie & Mandy … and that’s why I was not able to be part of the 20-year reunion, because we are here shooting our show.”
She continued, “But I wanted to say hello and thank you to everybody that has stuck by us for all these years. I’m so grateful that you guys all still love the show. I’m so proud to be a part of it.”
In the caption of her post, Osment wrote, “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,” she continued.
Emily Osment Reveals ‘Georgie and Mandy’ Role She Wants for Dolly Parton
Osment went on, “I can’t tell you what your sweet messages mean to me and how lucky I feel to have been a part 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.”
During The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, which premieres Tuesday, March 24, on Disney+ and Hulu, Cyrus, 33, will be looking back at her hit breakout role in an interview with “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper. Selena Gomez and Chappell Roan will also make guest appearances in the special.
The original series aired from 2006 to 2011 on the Disney Channel and spawned the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie.
