Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagicLike mother, like daughter—and vice versa!
"Wrecking Ball" singer Miley Cyrus and Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen were recognized in New York City Tuesday at amfAR's Sixth Annual Inspiration Gala for their work in the fight against AIDS. Miley arrived with her parents, Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus, and she also brought a date, Tyler Ford.
The 22-year-old pop star introduced fans to Tyler via Instagram earlier that day, writing, "Meet Tyler (@tywrent), a 24 year old living in New York City, and my date for @amfar tonight!!! Tyler is a queer, biracial, agender person, whose pronouns are they/them/theirs. Tyler shares about their identity, experiences and hopes saying: 'My whole life, I was led to believe that there were only two genders. I thought I had to shrink myself to fit into a box that was never going to contain me. It took years for me to find words for my gender identity, and to feel comfortable expressing myself as I am.'"
Tyler is a photographer, poet and former contestant on Oxygen's The Glee Project.
In additional Instagram captions, Miley called Tyler a "hot date" and "so kiewt."
Miley—who has been growing out her armpit hair—wore a strapless Jeremy Scott dress. While posing with her parents on the red carpet, Miley's mom's mesh dress shifted, accidentally exposing her nipple. Fortunately, Tish's wardrobe malfunction didn't detract from Miley's achievements. "My baby @mileycyrus was honored tonight," she wrote in an Instagram caption. "I couldnt be more proud!"
amFAR is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research and HIV prevention and education. The gala, produced by philanthropist Josh Wood, also included a runway show and performance by Mary J. Blige. Miley also sold some of her artwork to benefit amfAR, including altered Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair covers. "Dirty hippie x @happyhippiefdn art being auctioned @amfar @caitlynjenner #69," she wrote.
Auctioneer Alexander Gilkes of Paddle8 had gotten the bidding up to $65,000 for the four Caitlyn pieces when, according to Elle, Miley suddenly stood up at her table and shouted: "My left boob is awkwardly bigger than my right one, and I'll show you the left one if we can get it to…all right—we're at $65—what about $69?" The room roared with laughter. "$69. I'll clean your house," she offered. "Naked!"
"$69, naked, left boob, you'll see the larger areola," Alexander said.
Things got a bit more serious later on.
"Thank you very much," Miley said during her speech. "So, I've been sitting here long enough, I've been watching everybody read off these weird, futuristic mirrors that are right here. These are feeding everyone their words; they're weird, and they make you look kinda like you're spacing out, which I already look like I'm doing, so I'm going to not read that. I'm going to hold my paper, which I trust."
She next thanked her plus one for the evening, telling Tyler, "I'm honored to have such a beautiful date tonight that speaks just as beautifully as they look." The "Adore You" singer also discussed her plans for the Happy Hippie Foundation. "There are so many people around the world right now that deserve this recognition. And they've dedicated their lives to finding a cure...and by receiving this award tonight, I promise to continue to fight along with such an industrious army for a cure for this epidemic," she said.
Miley thanked stars who'd inspired her, including Audrey Hepburn, Sharon Stone and Elizabeth Taylor, and gave her parents a shout-out. "I just want to tell you how much I love you, and I want to—I'm going to f--king cry, like a loser. I just want to tell my parents I hope that this makes them proud, and somehow makes up for all the shit that I do, all the time. You are two of the most selfless people, and you have taught me and all of my siblings how important it is to be there for those who need us. And how important it is to care about other people and their lives, so thank you for making me like that. People say that they don't choose their family, but I'd choose my family every time. I think that even if you weren't my mom and dad, I'd hope we'd still be in the room together looking for a cure."
"We will continue to fight against judgment, and we find a cure for HIV/AIDS."
Earlier this week, the "We Can't Stop" singer launched her #InstaPride campaign on Instagram, where she publishes photos of people across the gender spectrum.