Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana's Meteoric Rise
Dean Hendler / Disney Channel
Television
Cyrus almost immediately became a sensation after the debut of Hannah Montana in 2006. The humor of the show trades on Miley's conviction that she must conceal her pop star identity from the kids at her school; she worries that if they knew her secret, they would want to be friends with her for all the wrong reasons.
Get the Latest Photos from Time.com
Get TIME photos and pictures of the week delivered directly to your inbox.