Sneaky way Miley Cyrus managed to slip explicit message into Hannah Montana special without Disney noticing

Earlier this week marked a major occasion for plenty of us who grew up in the noughties: the 20^th anniversary of Hannah Montana.

Or, as Miley Cyrus understandably wants us to put it, the Hannahversary.

The special aired on Disney+ on Tuesday (24 March), featuring special guests (including her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus) and a number of confessions and revelations. We even got Miley admitting that she once ‘secretly’ dated Dylan Sprouse during their Disney kid days.

Having grown up in the spotlight, the 33-year-old had her fair share of turbulent years but she embraces her Disney start as a certified Disney Legend.

But that doesn’t mean she was still able to sprinkle her own humour and style into the special as she had a sneaky explicit message hidden in there.

Miley has long been a fan of drag culture. (John Shearer/Getty Images)

Only some viewers will actually have clocked it, particularly those who are fans of Drag Race and/or Ru Paul – like Miley herself.

I mean, it’s so niche and discreet that fans reckon Disney didn’t even clock it. And if they did, they decided to serve it up to those of us in the know so it could have its viral moment.

So, Miley was sitting down with Alex Cooper for interview segments of the special when she was asked: “What do you think, from that initial audition, made you stand out to Disney?”

Taking a moment to think, the ‘Flowers’ singer responded (with a smirk on her face): “Well, the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent.”

In case you’re still confused about just what sneaky message this is, let me quite literally spell it out to you: clock the first letters of those adjectives.

Yeah, got it? Iconic.

Quickly noted by fans, it’s another example of Miley taking inspiration from Ru Paul’s Drag Race. This iconic acronym was popularised on the TV series and is the name of one of the drag star’s many, many tracks.

Oh, she knew what she was doing with that. Iconic. (Disney+)

Miley has always had her own way of doing things, she even admitted that this whole special only ever came about because she began stirring the pot.

She started teasing plans for the anniversary last year, hinting there was something ‘special’ to come.

“I learned this terrible habit — but I actually think it was good advice — from Dolly [Parton],” she told Variety.

“She told me that if you want something to happen, promote it before it exists. Then no one can say no. So I just started promoting a ‘Hannah Montana’ 20th-anniversary special that literally did not exist.”

Yeah, again, iconic.

The Hannah Montana 20^th Anniversary Special is available to watch on Disney+.