Billy Ray Cyrus Divorcing Tish Finley

Courtesy of Tuukka Jantti, PacificCoastNews.com

Billy Ray Cyrus divorces after 17 years

Billy Ray Cyrus is splitting up with Tish Finley after 17 years, and now rumors are getting kicked around about the family and what wasn't going right. This phase should stop as soon as we get some credible-sounding insider whisperers to speak to the press!

Read: Miley Cyrus's Parents Worry About Her

"As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family," they released in a statement. "We are trying to work through some personal matters. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers."

This explains some things, at least to me. Tish Finley always seemed like a crazed stage mom, and Billy Ray Cyrus is plain ol' creepy. Do you think they were staying together for their daughter Miley Cyrus's sake, to avoid damaging her career? I wouldn't be surprised if they lived in fear of Disney judgment if they got divorced.

Since there's no info out on the couple's divorce, all we can do is speculate. It's pretty fun: maybe he and Tish were fighting over how to handle Miley's career, maybe they have been going their separate ways with the first pangs of empty-nest syndrome, maybe they're having mid-life crises? So many options!

Read: Miley Cyrus Marrying in Spring 2011?

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Poor Noah Cyrus. She's Miley Cyrus's little sister, if you've forgotten about her, and she could be in for a wild ride now that she's going to split time between Billy Ray and Tish. Tish Finley will probably start reliving her 20s as soon as she gets settled in her new place, and Noah will be one of the witnesses.