Miley Cyrus has been on a roll—cracking open stories she once kept locked up. First, she casually revealed that she suffered an ovarian cyst rupture during her 2022 New Year’s Eve special. And now? She’s telling the world her leg basically fell apart while shooting her new visual album, Something Beautiful. Yes, really.
In her recent Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance, Miley laughed as she told the story. It started in October 2024, while filming scenes for the album’s visuals on the streets of Los Angeles. One month later—on Thanksgiving—she landed in the ICU with a brutal infection in her knee.
“My leg began to disintegrate somewhere around the kneecap area,” she said, still somehow giggling.
Miley Cyrus Skipped the Permits, Nailed the Aesthetic, Got the Infection
So how exactly does a pop icon end up in the ICU with a rotting knee? In true Miley fashion: barefoot, dancing, and a little too dedicated to the aesthetic.
She confessed she blew most of her music video budget on wardrobe, not filming permits. So instead of locking down a clean set, Miley and her team hit the Hollywood Walk of Fame at night—tourists, trash, and bacteria included. She danced barefoot on the same stars that millions walk over every year, which is a mood… but maybe not an immune system–friendly one.
When she got to the hospital, the doctor asked if she had any idea what might’ve caused the infection.
“I just saw myself…dancing barefoot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” she laughed.
The Aesthetic Was Worth It (Kind Of)
According to Miley, things got “really bad” really fast. Some opportunistic bacteria seized the moment and got inside her knee, turning her music video shoot into a real-life health crisis. She described the infection like a scene from a gore film—and said the doctors were visibly shaken by what they saw.
“It was just for a moment,” she said of her ICU stay. “But yeah, I was in the ICU.”
It’s classic Miley: deadly serious, but delivered like a punchline. No regrets. No apologies. Just rhinestones, choreography, and maybe a little pus.
See also: Kanye’s Choir Performs on Diddy’s Walk of Fame Star—And Yes, It’s as Loaded as It Sounds
A Beautiful Disaster, Literally
The album that nearly claimed her kneecap, Something Beautiful, drops May 30. It features 13 tracks and was produced with Shawn Everett. Miley calls it a “multisensory experience”—and honestly, considering everything her body went through for it, we believe her.
You’re not just meant to listen, she says. You’re meant to feel it. Maybe not in your bloodstream, though.
This article was originally written in Spanish by Nayely Aguilera in Cultura Colectiva.
