Miley Cyrus Reveals She Almost Had a Panic Attack During a Live Show: Honesty "Makes Me Less Afraid"

Miley Cyrus has been a successful performer since she was a child. You would think someone who is such a seasoned pro wouldn't have anxiety about being on stage and singing in front of thousands of fans. But the "Prisoner" singer revealed during her performance at Summerfest in Milwaukee on Sept. 17 that she had felt a panic attack coming on earlier in the show.

"Like everyone else for the last year and a half, I've been locked away and isolated, and it is very stunning to be back in a place that used to feel like second nature," she says from the stage in a video tweeted by music reporter Piet Levy. "Being on stage used to feel like being at home, and it doesn't anymore." Cyrus adds that living through the pandemic for the last 18 months was "startling and terrifying," and so is resuming life now that people are being vaccinated.

"I just want to be honest with how I'm feeling, because I think by being honest about that, then it makes me less afraid," she says. We may think of celebrities as superhuman, but Cyrus — no matter how many times she's performed in front of a packed audience — gets anxiety just like anyone else. Opening up about her experience will help normalize the conversation around anxiety and make others feel less alone.