Dolly Parton & Goddaughter Miley Cyrus Are Related by Blood, Ancestry Reveals

As Dolly Parton‘s goddaughter, Miley Cyrus was already part of the country legend’s family — but according to new research from Ancestry.com, the pair also share a family tree.

The genealogy-tracking website revealed Monday (Sept. 23) that the 78-year-old country legend and 31-year-old pop star are distantly related, with the pair connected by a man named John Brickey. Born in 1740, Brickey was a Tennessee resident who lived about 20 miles away from what is now Parton’s theme park, Dollywood, before he died in 1806.

Brickey is apparently Parton’s sixth great-grandfather and Cyrus’ seventh great-grandfather, making the two women seventh cousins, once removed.

“Is that true? That’s amazing!” the “Jolene” singer reacted to the news during an interview with Access Hollywood posted Monday. “We’re so close, Miley and I. I would’ve thought we’d have been at least third cousins, 10 times removed. I’m sure she’ll get a kick out of that.”

“It doesn’t surprise me because she does feel like family,” Parton added of the “Flowers” artist.

The revelation makes for timely news as Parton’s new album Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables, is set to arrive in November. The expansive project will revolve around the icon’s paternal and maternal ancestral lines settling in the Smoky Mountain area and feature performances from loved ones representing multiple generations of Parton’s family.

Parton is also planning an accompanying docuseries of the same title investigating her family’s history, featuring performances filmed at Knoxville’s Bijou Theater.

The “9 to 5” musician and Cyrus have long been close, both as friends and collaborators. The former appeared a couple times as the latter’s “Aunt Dolly” on episodes of Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, and the duo recently teamed up for a reimagined duet of Cyrus’ hit “Wrecking Ball” for Parton’s 2023 album, Rockstar. That same year, they cohosted Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party for NBC.