Hannah Montana/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Miley Ray Stewart / Hannah Montana

Miley Stewart is the 14-year old (as of Season 1) daughter of former country music star Robbie Ray Stewart, and a native of the one-horse town of Crowley Corners, Tennessee. Transplanted with her family to Malibu, she leads the life of a fairly typical upper-middle-class SoCal girl. Unbeknown to all but her inner circle, however, she's also the chart-topping, award-winning, multi-platinum-selling teen pop sensation Hannah Montana. Much of the show's humor and drama revolves around her attempts to keep her lives separate and her identity a secret.


Miley/Hannah provides examples of the following tropes:

  • Adorkable: Much of the show's success can be attributed to Miley Cyrus' bright and energetic personality combined with her goofy mannerisms and a total willingness to look foolish on camera.
  • Catch Phrase: Miley has a ton of 'em.
    • The following she shares with her family and others:
      • "Sweet niblets!"
      • "Dang flabbit!"
    • The following are uniquely Miley's:
      • "TVTropeseditorsaywhat?": Replace everything before the "what?" with a description of the person and/or context of the moment, said in a single breath.
      • "Mud crunkies!"
      • "Ya think?": Occasionally used by other characters, but usually when talking to Miley.
  • Cool Loser: An attractive, trendy, hip, charismatic girl who would turn heads everywhere she goes in Real Life somehow secured the bottom spot on the (published) popularity list.
  • Costume Porn
  • The Danza: The character's name was changed from Zoe to Chloe to Miley, so that Miley Cyrus would have one less alias to keep track of.
  • Defictionalization: Miley Cyrus performs in Real Life both as herself and in her Hannah Montana persona.
  • Easily Forgiven: The girl can't seem to get into any kind of trouble that lasts beyond the end of the episode.
  • Heterosexual Life Partners: With Lilly.
  • Idol Singer: Both on the show and in Real Life.
  • Real Life Relative: Miley's father Robbie Ray is played by her Real Life father Billy Ray Cyrus.
  • Secret Identity: Some episodes of the show revolve around Miley trying to keep people from learning she is Hannah Montana. Example: Miley tried to get the money to buy a phone by taking a bad picture of herself as Hannah and sell it to a tabloid but realized that she was wearing her necklace emblazoned with the word "Miley" after giving away the picture and had to find a way to get it back. Lilly and Oliver adopted their own secret identities as well.
  • Secret Relationship: In what is no doubt a nod to the secret relationship in Star Wars, when Jake and Miley are secretly dating they use the code-names Anakin and Queen Amidala.
  • Sibling Rivalry: She frequently tends to make fun of or be mean to Jackson, even when unprovoked.
  • Three Amigos: With Lilly and Oliver.
  • Tsundere: Towards Jake Ryan. When they first meet, she treats him with disdain, calling his antics "disgusting" and turning him down three times when he asks her to a dance. It isn't until Hannah guest stars on Jake's TV show and they almost kiss during a scene that she realizes - or admits to herself - that she actually likes him.
    • Some could argue that she feels the same about Mikayla but it was never canonized.

Lillian "Lilly" Truscott / Lola Luftnagle

Lilly Truscott has been Miley's best friend since the fifth grade. She began the series as a tomboyish skater girl who showed some signs of becoming more traditionally feminine. As the series progressed, she eventually outgrew her skater persona, and became progressively more girly.

Lilly accidentally discovers Miley's secret in the pilot episode, and thus later adopts her own alter-ego, viz: Lola Luftnagle, International Jet-Setter, so she could accompany Hannah to concerts and events.

Lilly has been best friends with Oliver Oken since preschool, when she held his hand because he had the 64-pack of crayons with the sharpener. Halfway through Season 3, they became a couple.


Lilly provides example of the following tropes:

  • Anime Hair: Usually when she's in her Lola disguise. This was Lampshaded twice.
  • Big Eater: Skinny as she is, one wonders where she puts it all.
  • Blind Without'Em: Lilly can't tell a person from a post without her contacts.
  • Catch Phrase: Distinctive more in the way she says them that the words themselves:
    • "Eep!"
    • "Aw, man!"
  • Cool Loser: Lilly qualifies under the same criteria as Miley.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Lilly tends to fall into this role, and in fact in some episodes (such as the one where Miley and Jackson were thought to be dating) basically spends the entire episode making snarky comments.
  • Dumb Blonde: Definatly not as smart as Miley.
  • Everybody Hates Mathematics: Lilly was desperate enough at one point to pretend to be Rico's girlfriend in order to get tutoring.
  • Expy: Some similarities have been noted between Lilly and Stephanie of Full House.
  • Genre Savvy: Lilly has a fair amount of this; several times she points out Miley's crazy schemes and why they shouldn't work.
  • Girliness Upgrade
  • Hair of Gold
  • Heterosexual Life Partners: With Miley.
  • Hollywood Tone Deaf: Emily Osment is a talented singer pursuing a music career of her own. Lilly Truscott, on the other hand, has absolutely zero sense of pitch or volume control, or rhythm.
  • The Masochism Tango: Given how Lilly and Oliver alternate between being at each other's throats, and being Sickeningly Sweethearts, one wonders if their Relationship Upgrade was, in fact, an upgrade.
  • Medium Awareness: Lilly seems to be developing this in Season 3, when she can not only predict a daydream, but also points out to Miley where on screen it will be appearing.
  • Morality Chain: Often, Lilly is the only thing reigning in Miley's diva-ness.
  • Paper-Thin Disguise: Garish outfits and candy-colored wigs practically guaranteed to draw attention to the fact that she's wearing what amounts to a costume.
  • Platonic Life Partners: Lilly and Oliver were this prior to their Relationship Upgrade.
  • Relationship Upgrade: Lilly and Oliver became a couple in mid-Season 3.
  • Secret Identity: Lola Luftnagle, International Jet-Setter, complete with high-improbable backstory.
  • Secret Relationship: Subverted. Lilly and Oliver thought Miley would wig out at the news of their relationship, so they decided to ease her into it. They managed to keep it secret for all of about five minutes.
  • Series Continuity Error: Two of the most egregious examples pertain directly to Lilly:
    • Lilly's birthday, which was implied in The Movie to be in the summer, but came around again just seven months later in "Can't Get Home to You Girl".
    • In one episode, Lilly spectacularly butchers the pronunciation of "empanada" (so as to rhyme with "Canada, Eh?") but in another episode, is taking AP Spanish, and able to tutor another girl in exchange for her math tutoring services.
  • Sidekick: At one point Lilly refers to herself as such saying that she's just a sidekick who needs to learn to say no. She almost never does.
  • Stalker with a Crush: Lilly's got it bad for Orlando Bloom, and takes her stalking to near-pathological levels in her Lola persona.

Jackson Rod Stewart

Jackson Stewart is Miley's two-years-older brother. He's shown to be greedy, selfish, irresponsible, lazy, socially-awkward, and unhygienic. However, he's also genuinely kind and compassionate, and stands by his friends and family when it really counts.

Jackson has had a number of best friends over the years, some of whom have disappeared without explanation or further mention. He seems to have something of a best friend relationship with Oliver, and a frenemy relationship with his boss' son, Rico.


Jackson provides examples of the following tropes:

  • Abhorrent Admirer: He spent an entire episode trying to lose the affections of "Saint" Sarah.
  • Book Dumb: He's obviously not stupid, but he gets horrible grades.
  • Butt Monkey
  • Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Frequently disproportionately punished for infractions that would rate, at most, a stern talking-to for Miley.
  • Casanova Wannabe: Jackson tries every cheesy pickup line and crazy scheme in the book to get girls.
  • Dawson Casting: Played by Jason Earles, born in 1977.
  • Easy Amnesia: Given to Jackson by a bump on the head from a fight with Miley. Subverted when said amnesia turns out to be fake, a joke played on Miley by Jackson and Robbie Ray to teach her a lesson about fighting with her brother (Jackson is promised a car for playing along).
  • G-Rated Drug: Jackson developed a chocolate addiction while attempting to break Rico of his.
  • Hollywood Dateless: Jackson is portrayed as a uncouth, socially-awkward loser who couldn't get a date if his life depended on it. This in spite of the fact that he's played by the boyishly-handsome Jason Earles, takes a different girl out every third episode, and has even had a few random women come on to him (usually when he's not trying to be charming).
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold
  • Master of Disguise: Jackson posed as a health inspector to get Mamaw Stewart fired as the school lunch lady. His cover was only blown when his wax nose melted.
  • The Obi-Wannabe: In one episode, Hannah has found that kids will emulate just about everything she does, and is afraid to ever express her opinions or preferences on television. As such, Robbie Ray enlists Jackson to school her in the fine art of obfuscation. Of course, it backfires horribly, and Hannah ends up delivering the episode's Aesop about being yourself instead.
  • Start My Own: In one episode, he gets fed up with the greedy practices at Rico's Surf Shop, and quits his job there so he can open a rival beachfront establishment.
  • Stylistic Suck: Jackson puts on his A-game when he appears on America's Top Talent as "Bucky Kentucky".
  • The Unfavorite: Lampshaded with gusto by Mamaw Stewart, who overcompensates by spoiling Jackson and ignoring Miley.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Jackson has this sort of relationship with Rico. Type 2.
  • With Friends Like These...: With Rico.

Oliver Oscar Oken / Mike Stanley III

Oliver Oken has been Miley's best guy friend since the fifth grade, and Lilly's since preschool. He endures a fair amount of verbal and physical abuse from both girls. Oliver fancies himself a smooth operator, and suffers frequent blows to his ego. As of mid-Season 3, he is dating Lilly, and is well on his way to a music career of his own.

(Tropes pertaining to Oliver's relationship with Lilly can be found under her character entry, and will not be repeated).


Oliver provides examples of the following tropes:

  • Acquired Situational Narcissism: Though no stranger to the occasional bout of egocentrism, Oliver takes it to Jerkass levels after appearing on America's Top Talent, acquiring his own Groupie Brigade, and very nearly scuttling his relationship with Lilly.
  • Berserk Button: Do not, I repeat, do not call Lilly stupid within earshot of Oliver!
  • The Cast Showoff: The show seems to be as much about promoting Mitchel Musso's music career these days as it is about promoting Miley's.
  • Catch Phrase: "Frickyfrickyfresh." and "Wickywickyword. Respect!"
  • Cool Loser: To a lesser degree of "cool" than Miley and Lilly.
  • Demoted to Extra: In Season 4.
  • Egg Sitting: Oliver and Sarah do this in "My Boyfriend's Jackson and There's Gonna be Trouble"
  • Hollywood Dateless: Oliver was turned down by the entire girls' softball team (who even hired a skywriter to drive the point home). That said, he's dated hotties such as Becca Weller, Joannie Palumbo, and of course, Lilly.
  • Hot for Student: The school nurse has a conversation with Lilly and Miley that makes it sound like she's having an affair with Oliver, though it turns out she's actually talking about him having diabetes. The girls are appropriately horrified, though they'd have a harder time getting away with this joke had the genders been reversed.
  • Idol Singer: By the end of Season 3, Oliver has been on national TV and is ready to go on a concert tour.
  • Paper-Thin Disguise: Oliver's consists of a fake goatee and some hip-hop clothes.
  • Pretty Fly for a White Guy: Oliver tries to incorporate far too much hip-hop culture into his persona.
  • Secret Identity: Mic Stand... Mic Stan... ley... The 3rd. Oh, I mean Mike Stanley III, a moniker he came up with very much off-the-cuff.
  • Soap Opera Disease: Type I diabetes, mentioned in exactly one episode.
  • Stalker with a Crush: Oliver was one to Hannah until he found out who she really was.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Oliver seems to have this sort of relationship with most all of his friends.

Rico Suave

Rico is the owner's son, and de facto manager, of Rico's Surf Shop, a beachfront establishment that sells mediocre, overpriced food and merchandise. Rico is a bona fide genius, particularly in math and science, and isn't shy about it. He's in the same class as Miley, Lilly and Oliver, despite being several years younger. He has, at various times, been both a frenemy and employer to both Jackson and Oliver.


Rico provides examples of the following tropes:

Robbie Ray Stewart

Robbie Ray Stewart is the father of Miley and Jackson. Once a chart-topping country music sensation himself, Robbie Ray has shifted his career toward writing songs for and the full-time management of Hannah Montana. He's a colorful hillbilly (though not as colorful as his relatives, some of whom have been seen, but most only referred to) who's been softened quite a bit by his luxurious life in Southern California. He tries to be an overall responsible and caring parent, but can't seem to help showing at least some favoritism toward Miley.


Robbie Ray provides examples of the following tropes: