If you were scrolling through Instagram in the summer of 2015, you probably remember the absolute frenzy. Miley Cyrus—fresh off a breakup and deep in her "Dead Petz" era—was suddenly everywhere with Victoria’s Secret Angel Stella Maxwell. It wasn't just a few red carpet photos. It was raw, it was messy, and for a few months, it was the only thing anyone in the industry could talk about.
But like most things in the orbit of the 2010s' most chaotic pop star, the reality was way more complicated than a few paparazzi shots in a parking lot.
The Instagram Meet-Cute That Wasn't
People love to invent elaborate stories about how stars meet at high-end galas or secret parties. Honestly? Miley and Stella were much more relatable. They met on Instagram. Well, technically, Miley’s best friend and assistant, Cheyne Thomas, spotted Stella on the platform and reached out.
Stella once joked to V Magazine that they met on Grindr. She was kidding, obviously, but it set the tone for their whole vibe: playful, a bit provocative, and very "new age" Hollywood. By the time the public caught on in June 2015, they had already been hanging out for months. Stella was even the one who reportedly helped nurse Miley back to health after she got her wisdom teeth pulled earlier that year. That’s not just a "fling" move; that's real-life friendship territory.
That Kiss in the Parking Lot
If you want to pin down the exact moment the internet exploded, it was July 2015. Miley was in Hollywood filming a music video. During a break, she and Stella were caught in a massive PDA session behind a trailer. It wasn't a "we're just friends" kind of hug. It was a full-on, cinematic make-out session that felt like a deliberate middle finger to anyone trying to box Miley into a specific identity.
The photos were everywhere within an hour.
At the time, Miley was just beginning to speak openly about being pansexual. She told Paper Magazine around that same time that she was "down with any adult—anyone over the age of 18 who is down to love me." Seeing her actually living that out with a high-profile woman like Stella felt like a massive cultural shift.
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The "She’s Not Him" Factor
Here is where things get kind of heavy. By late 2015, the fire had cooled. Why? Because the ghost of Liam Hemsworth never really left the room.
Years later, when Miley released her album Younger Now, fans immediately latched onto the track "She's Not Him." The lyrics are brutal. She sings about a girl who is perfect, beautiful, and changed her life—but who simply isn't "him."
"There's no other girl that looks like ya, darling... But you're not him."
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It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots. Stella was the person there for Miley when she was trying to move on, but you can’t force a chemical reaction that isn't there. Miley was eventually pulled back toward Liam (leading to their marriage and eventual divorce), leaving the Stella chapter as this beautiful, fleeting "what if."
Where They Stand Now
Stella Maxwell didn't stay in the "ex-girlfriend" shadows for long. She famously went on to have a long-term relationship with Kristen Stewart, cementing her own place as a queer icon in the fashion world.
As for Miley, she’s currently linked to drummer Maxx Morando, and she seems much more settled. Looking back, the Miley and Stella era wasn't just celebrity gossip. It was a moment where a massive pop star refused to hide her fluid identity at a time when that was still considered a "risky" career move.
What You Can Learn From This
If you're looking for the "takeaway" from this 2015 whirlwind, it’s basically about the importance of exploration. Miley used that time to figure out who she was outside of the "Disney kid" or "Liam’s girlfriend" labels.
- Don't Rush Labels: Miley famously told Elle UK during the height of the rumors: "I’m 22, I’m going on dates, but I change my style every two weeks, let alone who I’m with."
- Friendship First: The strongest "celebrity" relationships often start from mutual creative respect or social circles, not just PR setups.
- Closure is Complicated: You can care about someone deeply (as the song suggests) and still realize they aren't your "forever" person.
The next time you see an old photo of them together, don't just see a "failed" relationship. See it as a pivotal moment in pop culture history that helped normalize fluidity for a whole generation of fans.
If you're curious about how this era influenced Miley's later work, go back and listen to the Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz album. It’s the sonic equivalent of that summer—trippy, experimental, and completely unapologetic.