She was a small child actress Billy Ray Cyrus sold to Disney as he was low on cash.
Once Disney starting using these legally owned actors/actresses, they'll pedal them out like prostitutes whoring out merchandise and churning out tv shows and movies, rolling in the money for Disney who had been struggling to make anything decent in its own right since The Lion King. Billy Ray started a legal battle to get his daughter back at a profit, but to avoid a kerfuffle with the court rooms and people finding out Disney buy and own child slaves as actors, they gave him a part in the show.

/Conspiracy Theory by EddAchey Breaky Heart
( Edd: The Unfunny Try-Hard Edgelord, Thu 21 May 2009, 16:34, archived)