Ellen DeGeneres and "Hannah Montana" Scare Kacey Musgraves

Before she became famous, the "High Horse" singer performed as the character at kids' birthday parties

By Zach Johnson Oct 08, 2018 12:30 PMTags
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No one is safe around Ellen DeGeneres.

Kacey Musgraves stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show Monday to promote Golden Hour, where the daytime talk show host admitted she and wife Portia de Rossi had been listening to it nonstop. "We were obsessed. We listened to that album all summer long. We listened to it in the car. We listened to it in the house," she said. "We just love your voice and love your music."

Just in case anyone was unfamiliar with Musgraves, DeGeneres explained how she rose to prominence by competing on the fifth season of USA's Nashville Star in 2007. But if it were up to Musgraves, she'd keep her reality TV past a secret. "I don't know if I would say that I got known for it," the country star said. "Most people hopefully just kind of forget I was part of that."

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Suffice to say, Musgraves—who is nominated in two categories at the 2018 CMA Awards—didn't always lead such a glamorous life. In fact, before she found fame, she used to live a double life as Hannah Montana—the only difference being Miley Cyrus masqueraded as the character on TV and Musgraves performed at kids' birthday parties. "That was a brief stint. It didn't go that well. I got paid in change," she said. "A kid tried to rip my wig off. He said, 'You're not the real Hannah Montana.' I was supposed to walk in with a boombox, ready to go with her theme song. I practiced all night. I had a wig. I was like, 'God, this looks terrible. It's like straw.'"

Before Musgraves could finish telling her story, a man dressed in costume as the Disney Channel character burst out of a box, causing the "High Horse" singer to jump out of her seat.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" a startled Musgraves shouted. "Ellen!"

With a laugh, DeGeneres told her, "At least you didn't have to get in a box to scare people!"