When Miley Cyrus appeared on the red carpet at the premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash On December 1, all eyes went straight to her ring finger. A stunning new diamond appeared to confirm her engagement to Maxx Morando, a musician whom she met in 2021, following her divorce from Liam Hemsworth in 2020.
“She has no interest in being a big celebrity; she’s very low-key. Miley loves those qualities,” a source told People. “Miley can be herself. They support each other in their careers. Miley is enjoying life and everything is going great.”
Like Cyrus, Morando is also a musician. He is currently the drummer for the rock band Liily and has collaborated with his fiancee on several songs on their albums. Endless Summer Vacation y Something Beautiful. He was also by her side when she won her first Grammy in 2024. The couple shared a super cute kiss at their table before Miley mentioned him as “my love” in her acceptance speech. “He’s very similar to me,” the “Wrecking Ball” singer said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “We just don’t take life too seriously.”
Below, everything you need to know about the man for whom Miley has a special “sexy boyfriend” ringtone, according to British Vogue.
Who is Maxx Morando?
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Es Gen Z
The six-year age difference between Cyrus and Morando technically puts them in different generations: While Miley is a Millennial, Morando was born in 1998, making him part of Generation Z. Still, their dynamic remains “comfortable and uncomplicated,” according to Harper’s Bazaar.
“He sees life in a very different way than I do,” Miley told the magazine about their age-gap relationship. “He grew up with a laptop. I had a desktop computer that I shared with my brothers and sisters… Honestly, he’s raised our dog on Reddit. I’m like, ‘Are you sure we should do this?’ and he’s like, ‘On Reddit it’s blah, blah, blah.'”
Cyrus also opened up about their age difference when her sister Brandi joked about “cougars” on the podcast Sorry We’re Cyrus. “He will be 27 when I turn 33,” explained the actress. Hannah Montana“and I am very excited that he turns 27 because it was a great year for me.”
He is a drummer
Morando is a professional musician who currently plays drums in the Los Angeles-based rock band Liily. The group formed in 2016 and also consists of vocalist Dylan Nash, guitarist Sam De La Torre, and bassist Charlie Anastasis.
Before joining Liily, Morando was the drummer for The Regrettes, where he played from 2015 to 2018. (The band broke up in 2023.)
They met on a blind date
Unlike Liam Hemsworth, whom Miley met on the set of The Last SongMorando came into his life through a blind date (or almost). “Well, it was blind for me and not so much for him,” he told British Vogue. “I thought, ‘The worst thing that can happen is that I leave.’”
They made their first appearance together at a Gucci show.
Shortly after that meet-cute, Cyrus and Morando were photographed holding hands at the show Gucci Love Parade in Los Angeles in November 2021. A month later, they were seen together again in the former Disney Channel star’s NBC special, Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party. This second sighting practically confirmed the romance rumors, which were confirmed when they were caught showing affection in public at the beginning of 2022.
They have produced and written music together
Since both Cyrus and Morando are musicians, it was only a matter of time before they collaborated on a project. In 2023, the drummer produced two songs on Miley’s eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation: “Handstand” and “Violet Chemistry”. Two years later, he produced several songs on Something Beautiful and also participated in writing the album’s title track.
“I’ve always worked with the people I love,” Miley explained in 2024. “And Maxx just inspires me so much.”
They debuted on the red carpet in SNL50
Although Cyrus and Morando had already attended the Grammys together in 2024, it was not until SNL50in February 2025, when they officially made their red carpet debut as a couple. During the show’s 50th anniversary special, Miley performed a tribute to the late Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor alongside Brittany Howard and The Roots. The trio sang “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a Prince song that O’Connor made iconic in 1990.
They got engaged at the end of 2025
After four years together, Cyrus and Morando appeared at the premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash in December 2025 for a rare date night on the red carpet. What caught the most attention was that the “Angels Like You” singer was wearing a diamond ring on that finger. Engagement rumors began immediately and soon after a source People confirmed that the couple was ready to reach the altar.
And the ring? It is a 14k yellow gold piece with a cushion-cut diamond in horizontal orientation (east-west), designed by Jacquie Aiche. “It’s hard to judge the color because the yellow bezels make everything look warmer,” explained Kegan Fisher, co-founder of Frank Darling. “Also, cushion cuts tend to look smaller because they concentrate a lot of weight on the bottom of the diamond. Based on that, I’d say it’s about 4 carats.”
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