Emily Osment Skipped Hannah Montana Reunion Due to CBS Filming Commitments

Filming on the set of "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage," Emily Osment looked into her phone camera and cut straight to it: "We are at the 'Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage' set, and that's why I was not able to be a part of the 20-year reunion, because we are here shooting our show."

Osment and Mitchel Musso, who starred as Miley Stewart's best friends Lilly and Oliver, did not appear in the special, which dropped on Disney+ March 24. The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special featured a sit-down interview between Miley Cyrus and superfan Alex Cooper, host of "Call Her Daddy." Fans also got to see recreated sets from the show, a performance of "The Best of Both Worlds," and chats with Miley's mom, Tish Cyrus, and her father and Hannah Montana co-star, Billy Ray Cyrus.

Osment, 34, shared the update in a Monday, March 23 Instagram video in which she and her Georgie and Mandy co-star Montana Jordan chatted in between takes on the set of their CBS sitcom. In the video, she told fans: "I wanted to say hello and thank you to everybody that has stuck by us for all these years. I'm so grateful that you guys all still love the show. I'm so proud to be a part of it. We appreciate you. Lots of love."

The caption she wrote alongside the video went further. Osment wrote: "Hannah Montana changed my life, it gave me a lifelong respect for this medium of comedy, it taught me discipline, patience, timing and respect working in an adult space so young." She signed off as Lilly, telling fans: "I can't tell you what your sweet messages mean to me and how lucky I feel to have been apart of this once in a generation goliath of a television show. Thank you for letting me into your living rooms and I hope to still be there many years from now. Would never be where I am without you guys, working on another beautiful show I love so dearly. With all my heart, THANK YOU!"

Osment reflected on fans' enduring support after 20 years, saying she wouldn't be working on "Georgie & Mandy" if it weren't for "Hannah Montana." Since Hannah Montana, Osment's acting career has continued to grow, with roles on TV comedies including Young and Hungry and Young Sheldon. She and Montana Jordan now lead Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage as the titular couple, a sitcom currently airing its second season that has already been renewed for a third.

Musso, who in later seasons played Lilly's love interest on the show, referenced Osment's post while noting how gratifying it is to see their viewers grow into adults. "To all of you who grew up right alongside us, your friends were our friends too," he wrote. "Like my Lillypop said on her post, so many of you building families of your own and sharing this wonderful story with your kids is a gift beyond words. It's been the coolest part of HM." Osment commented on Musso's post with: "Love you so so much."

Miley Cyrus also reflected on her bond with Osment on the series, which was her first big acting role. The special itself almost never happened: in a March 18 interview with Variety, Cyrus revealed that she began publicly pushing for a reunion before Disney had agreed to one. "I learned this terrible habit, but I actually think it was good advice, from Dolly [Parton]," Cyrus said. "She told me that if you want something to happen, promote it before it exists. Then no one can say no. So I just started promoting a Hannah Montana 20th-anniversary special that literally did not exist."

The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special came out on Tuesday, March 24, the same day Miley Cyrus and other stars from the show walked the purple carpet at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles to mark the occasion. Twenty years on, Osment's absence underscores just how much the scheduling realities of a hit CBS sitcom have changed her life from the Disney Channel kid she once was, exactly as she'd hoped they would.