Miley Cyrus has shared the reason she agreed to marry her now-fiancé, Maxx Morando, when he popped the question. The singer confirmed her engagement on December 2, after she debuted a $150,000 diamond ring at the Avatar: Fire And Ash premiere in Los Angeles.
During an interview on the December 4 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Miley opened up about how her surprising "phobia" prompted her to marry Maxx. The 33-year-old revealed that she "[hates] paper" and that even the host's cue cards on his desk made her "want to vomit".
"The real problem is when people have dry hands and they touch paper," said Miley. "That's why I got engaged. I make my fiance open all the packages outside." Miley likely suffers from papyrophobia, a fear of paper, or Haptephobia, a fear of touch.
Jimmy then shared that it's tradition for the "first year anniversary to be paper", to which Miley replied: "Not here." The host then asked Miley if she will "even sign the marriage certificate" once she walks down the aisle.
"I think I remember that the paper is waxed," said Miley. The singer then recalled her wedding with her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth, noting that the "smooth paper" was "better". Miley admitted that she couldn't "really remember" much about singing her then marriage certificate as she "smoked one of those imaginary joints".
Liam confirmed his separation from the singer in August 2019 and their divorce was finalized in January 2022 after less than a year of marriage. Liam and Miley had a turbulent relationship and first began dating in 2010.
On Tuesday, December 2 at a press conference promoting Avatar: Fire and Ash in Beverly Hills, which HELLO! attended, Miley opened up about her engagement. She shared that her relationship with Maxx "is about starting again" and "the consciousness of a more grown and adult person of what I want this time around."
The diamond, which is set in a thick gold band, was first spotted in photos shared on Miley's Instagram during her 33rd birthday celebrations on November 23. Miley started dating Maxx, a drummer and songwriter for the band Liily, back in 2021. They were first spotted together at Miley's New Year's Eve Party special in December 2021.
Speaking to British Vogue in 2023, Miley revealed that she and Maxx first met on a blind date. "Well, it was blind for me and not really for him. I thought, 'The worst that can happen is I leave,'" she told the outlet.
Back in September, Liam announced his engagement to Gabriella Brooks with a romantic black-and-white snapshot shared to Instagram. Gabriella showed off her sparkling engagement ring – a square-cut diamond set on a sleek, elegant gold band. She captioned the post with a simple white love heart emoji.