Ahead of the 2026 Maccabiah Games, an event often called the “Jewish Olympics” and the largest Jewish sporting competition in the world, which are set to begin next week, social media influencer, dancer, and singer, Montana Tucker expressed her excitement to be hosting the delegation parade at the event and said that the games were taking place at a critical point for the global Jewish community.
Montana
Miley Cyrus claims she got blamed for Billy Ray smoking weed on set of Hannah Montana
Miley Cyrus has claimed that she got blamed when her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, smoked weed on the set of their iconic Disney Channel show, Hannah Montana.
The actor, 32, shared the story about her dad on Thursday’s episode of her mother Tish Cyrus and her sister Brandi Cyrus’s podcast, Sorry We’re Cyrus. During the episode, Miley received a series of rapid-fire questions, with Tish asking: “What’s a core memory from the Hannah Montana days that still makes you laugh?”
Miley responded: “Dad smoking pot and everyone blaming me for it.”
She added that it was “a hilarious” memory and clarified that her dad “wasn’t sharing” the weed with anyone.
However, Tish confessed that he wasn’t too pleased about her now-ex’s behavior.

“They were calling me, saying, ‘B. Ray was smoking pot,’” Tish shared. “And I was like, ‘He would never do that.’”
Tish then joked that Miley’s Hannah Montana co-star, Mitchel Musso, was the one smoking weed. But according to Miley, that was actually true.
“It was both,” the “Flowers” singer claimed, referring to Musso and Billy Ray.
However, Musso, who played Miley’s best friend Oliver in Hannah Montana, has denied Miley’s claims.
“Well, that’s not how I remember it,” he said in a statement to E! News on Thursday. “However, I’ve got plenty of stories from those years that might be worth having a conversation about. If we’re revisiting Hannah Montana history—just say the word.”
Still, he sent his support to his former co-star, adding: “All love to Miley and the fam. Even when the rewrites get this creative.”
The Independent has contacted a representative for Billy Ray for comment.
Miley’s parents officially split in 2022 after 30 years of marriage. Tish got remarried to Australian actor Dominic Purell in 2023, while Billy Ray married singer Firerose that same year.
Billy Ray’s marriage to Firerose was short-lived, lasting only eight months. The pair also had a messy split, with the country singer claiming in court documents that “he gave consent to marriage based on Fraud by the Wife, that had he known, he would not have entered into the bonds of matrimony.”
Following Billy Ray’s divorce from Tish, there were rumors that he was estranged from Miley. The speculation also came after Miley didn’t mention the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer during her acceptance speech at the 2024 Grammys, but did mention her mother.
However, during the 2025 Grammys in February, Billy Ray congratulated Miley and Beyoncé for winning a Grammy award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their song, “II Most Wanted.”
Months later, the “Plastic Hearts” singer issued a rare statement on her Instagram Stories to address her relationship with her parents.
“My dad and I have had our challenges over the years,” she wrote in May. “Now, in my thirties, family is my priority above all else. I’m at peace knowing bridges have been built and time has done a lot of healing. Grateful for the good health and love that flows through my family.”
During an appearance on The Interview podcast days later, Miley opened up about reconnecting with her dad, noting that “timing is everything.”
“You know, there’s been enough bridges now of time to get us all reconnected,” the “Wrecking Ball” singer said. “My mom’s really loved my dad for her whole life. And I think being married to someone in the music industry and not being a part of it is obviously really hard.”
“But now that my mom is so in love with my stepdad Dom, who I also just completely adore,” she added. “And now that my dad, I see him finding happiness outside of that too, I can love them both as individuals instead of as a kind of, you know, a parental pairing.”
Billy Ray went Instagram official with his girlfriend, model Elizabeth Hurley, on Easter Sunday. While Miley said it was difficult for her to see her father with his someone new at first, she was ultimately happy for him.
“At first, it’s hard because the little kid in you reacts before the adult in you can go, ‘Yes, that’s your dad, but that’s just another person that deserves to be in his bliss and to be happy,’” she said during The Interview podcast. “So my adult self has caught up.”
Montana
Social media star Montana Tucker to host Maccabiah Games delegation parade | The Jerusalem Post
“Israel has gone through a lot, Israelis have gone through a lot, Jews have gone through a lot around the world,” Tucker told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. “What’s going on is not just happening in Israel; it’s really happening all around the world with our Jewish community. So, an event like the Maccabiah Games is showing the world that we are strong, we are united, and we don’t give up, and we keep fighting.”
According to Maccabiah, the games bring together more than 10,000 athletes from at least 80 countries in Israel every four years to compete in over 45 sports. The Maccabi World Union says the games are the second-largest sporting event in the world after the Olympics.
The 2026 Maccabiah Games, the 22nd of their kind, were initially scheduled for last year but were postponed due to the security situation involving Iran and its regional proxies.
“This was supposed to happen last year, and about a month away, we had to cancel it due to the war,” Tucker recalled. “And so I am so grateful that it is happening this year, because we truly do need this now more than ever.”
She also said she was excited to debut her new song “We’re Not Strangers” at the event.
“It’s all about unity and building bridges and bringing people together. And some of the lyrics say ‘we may pray to different saviors, but we’re not strangers,’” she told the Post. “Our world is so divided right now. I think that we really just need to come together and have more unity and compassion and understanding of one another. And if we really talk to people who look differently than us, act differently than us, have a different religion than us, we’ll realize we’re actually more similar than we think.”
Montana Tucker: Sport ‘truly unites the world’
Sports, she said, was an ideal method to build these bridges, adding she viewed it as something that “truly unites the world.”
The Maccabiah Games this year, though, will be the first since the Hamas-led massacres in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The attacks sparked a regional eruption with Israel fighting wars against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Islamic regime in Iran.
“We always have to talk about what happened on October 7,” Tucker said. “We should never stop talking about it. And I think it is so important that Maccabiah is utilizing this platform to talk about it. I know they actually have a former hostage, Daniella Gilboa, who’s going to be performing, which is so powerful.”
Tucker also highlighted the value of the games, saying they were a powerful tool to dispel disinformation about the Jewish state.
“What’s shown on the news nowadays is just all the negativity. Most of it is just propaganda and lies about what Israel is, and I think the Maccabiah just debunks every possible propaganda and lie about Israel,” she said. “When people say the word ‘Israel,’ it comes with so many different connotations, and I think we can show them this. This is Israel. This is what being Jewish means.”
A key element in showing the world what Israel and being Jewish mean, she reiterated, meant showcasing Jewish unity at a time when, in the wake of the October 7, the global Jewish community has faced a worldwide rise in antisemitism.
The games themselves are being held under the slogan, “More Than Ever,” according to Maccabiah, to emphasize “the importance of strengthening the bond between [Jewish] communities worldwide and the State of Israel.”
Montana
Montana Lottery Mega Millions, Big Sky Bonus results for June 23, 2026
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 23, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 23 drawing
48-51-60-63-66, Mega Ball: 20
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 23 drawing
06-21-22-31, Bonus: 13
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Montana
Man Driving Giant Banana Gets Pulled Over in Montana
We cover lots of hard news here at The Drive. Y’know, the stuff that keeps you updated on the automotive industry and enthusiast scene. Other times, we don’t. Other times, we write silly car-related stuff because it’s fun. This is one of those times. A giant banana recently got pulled over in Montana, and as the Cowboy State Daily put it, it wasn’t its first time.
According to the Montana State Police, the giant banana car and its driver, Steve Braithwaite, were pulled over near Billings because part of the license plate was blocked. He did not receive a ticket. Also, the plate reads “SPLIT.”
“We’ve stopped speeders, distracted drivers, and even a few unusual vehicles… but this one definitely stands out.
The Big Banana Car was stopped cruising near Billings today. While it may be apPEALing, traffic laws still apply to fruit. 😎 🍌
Safe travels, Montana,” said the Montana State Police’s Facebook page.
According to the report, Braithwaite has been pulled over hundreds of times over the decade he’s been driving his banana car across the country. In fact, he believes that during the first few years he had the thing, he was one of the most frequently pulled-over men in America.
“Driving around in a banana and having all these people, all these smiles and waves, affects me. It actually does something fantastic,” he told the outlet.
He even claims to have been pulled over once for “peeling out,” which was, of course, a joke.
Another report claims that Braithwaite began working on the fiberglass banana in 2008 and finished it in 2011. It’s based on a 1993 Ford F-150 and is a bout 23 feet from tip to tip.
Keep on keepin’ on, Steve.
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