Dolly became “Aunt Dolly” on Hannah Montana, performed with Miley, recorded music alongside her and remained a trusted presence throughout Miley’s life.

Their bond often seemed less like one between two famous performers and more like an extended family relationship. 🎤

Then came a discovery neither of them expected.

In September 2024, genealogical research from Ancestry revealed that Miley and Dolly actually share a distant ancestor: John Brickey, who was born in Virginia in 1740 before later settling in Tennessee.

According to the genealogy findings, Brickey was Dolly’s sixth great-grandfather and Miley’s seventh great-grandfather.

That makes the two stars seventh cousins once removed. 🥹

And the sweetest part?

They didn’t need a family tree to make their relationship feel real.

For more than three decades, Miley had already called Dolly her godmother.

Dolly had already embraced Miley as someone incredibly close to her heart.

They had shared stages, songs, television moments and countless memories long before either of them knew there was a biological connection hiding in their ancestry.

When Dolly learned about the discovery, she reportedly found it more amusing than surprising — especially because the two had always felt unusually close.

It’s almost as if the family connection had been there all along, quietly waiting to be discovered.

Two women who chose to call each other family eventually learned that their family trees really did meet — more than 200 years before either of them was born.

Sometimes, the most beautiful connections aren’t created by a shared last name.

They’re created by years of love, friendship and memories.

And then, every once in a while, the family tree comes along and confirms what your heart already knew. ❤️✨