Elizabeth Hurley‘s new romance with Billy Ray Cyrus has turned heads — leaving both fans bewildered and concerned.
“I think people found Billy and I being together a little surprising,” the British supermodel, 59, told Page Six on Tuesday, May 13, noting “there has been quite a reaction.”
While Hurley’s Easter hard-launch of their relationship shocked her 3 million-plus Instagram followers, the Austin Powers star, for one, wasn’t surprised.
That’s “because we’re actually quite similar and get on extremely well,” she explained to the outlet while on the red carpet for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Hot Pink Party in New York City.
“We both like to laugh a lot, and we both love the country,” Hurley added. “And we both love country music, both love movies. We’ve got a lot in common — and cowboy boots, definitely.”
Following their social media debut, the majority of fans were shocked by the unexpected romance, leaving comments on Hurley’s Instagram post that boiled down to the same sentiment: “Weird.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Elizabeth Hurley (@elizabethhurley1)
“Just when you thought the world couldn’t get any weirder a new portal opens up😔,” one person wrote.
“this is so weird,” shared another follower.
“Nobody on the planet understands this,” a third commenter said.
Others expressed concern for Hurley, questioning Cyrus’ politics and overall health after his botched performance at an inauguration event for President Donald Trump back in January.
The “Achy Breaky Heart” singer and his ex-wife Firerose, who divorced in 2024 after seven months of marriage, each accused each other of abuse during their relationship. (Cyrus vehemently denied Firerose’s claims; she called their ongoing legal battle — which included Cyrus’ many allegations against her — an “excruciatingly painful … smear campaign.”
The “Old Town Road” singer, for his part, attested earlier this month to the things he and Hurley have in common after meeting on the 2022 Hallmark movie, Christmas in Paradise.
Recalling how much they laughed together on set, Cyrus shared “the couple times we were in the same scene there was a chemistry there.”
Two years later, in 2024, Hurley reached out to the Grammy winner after a string of highly-publicized personal lows — he and ex-wife Tish Cyrus divorced in 2022; he and Firerose were infamously going through their tumultuous divorce.
Earlier this month, Billy Ray revealed the text message Hurley sent him amid the turmoil. “Hey, it looks like life might be a little bit tough and just wanted you to know I’m in your corner. You’ve got a friend in your corner,” she wrote, kicking off their reunion — and their romance.
