Billy Ray Cyrus has finally responded to the controversy which erupted after his sixteen-year-old daughter danced on a stripper pole at an awards show marketed towards children and teens. Long story short, he's cool with it. Because of course he fucking is.

"You know what? I just think that Miley loves entertaining people," he tells Access Hollywood at Thursday's Hellman's/Facebook Feeding American Event in NYC.

"I always tell her to love what you're doing and stay focused for the love of the art and not worry so much about opinion," he says. "I give my kids a lot of freedom to make the art they wanna make, and make it in their own voice. I think it's important," Billy tells Us at the same event. (Source)

Huh. I never knew that workin' the pole was considered to be "the art." And here's this whole time I thought the reason why so many former art students ended up on them was because an art school degree is worth about as much as a roll of toilet paper dipped in acrylic paint.

More of Daddy Soul Patch at that mayonnaise thing: