Tish Cyrus and Dominic Purcell might be the poster children for unconventional relationship beginnings. In a February 2024 episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast (via Us Weekly), Tish revealed that she’d thought of Purcell as her “hall pass.” Even while she was still with Billy Ray Cyrus, she felt it was “heartbreaking” she hadn’t ended up with the actor. It sounds like there was a history between the two of them, and indeed, Tish shared that Purcell had DM’ed her back in 2016. “I had followed him on Instagram and he DM’ed me and just said, ‘Hey Tish, just wanted to [say], I think you’re super cool and … you’re doing such a great job with your family.’ … I didn’t see it for a year.” Unsurprisingly, this message didn’t sit well with Purcell’s then-girlfriend, who apparently blocked Tish on Instagram. After splitting with Billy Ray, and upon realizing she was no longer blocked, Tish reached out to ask Purcell to lunch.
From there, the pair moved at lightning fast speed. Tish and Purcell ended up out at a pub where they “[made] out for like three hours,” as Tish told host Alex Cooper (via E! News). “The next day, he was like, ‘Yeah, I love ya.’ And I was like ‘I love you too,'” Tish added. It was unconventional enough that Tish’s oldest daughter Brandi Cyrus was concerned. “I’m like, ‘Mom, we don’t know this guy,'” she said.