Billy Ray Cyrus Says He's at 'My Wit's End' as He Addresses Leaked Audio Berating Estranged Wife Firerose amid Divorce

The "Achy Breaky Heart" singer filed for divorce from Firerose in June after seven months of marriage

Billy Ray Cyrus is breaking his silence after a private conversation between him and his estranged wife Firerose was publicly leaked.

On Wednesday, July 24, the country star, 62, used social media to address an audio recording obtained by PEOPLE, in which he was heard berating and belittling singer-songwriter Firerose (previously known as Johanna Hodges), whom he is currently in the process of divorcing after seven months of marriage.

“Hell yeah I was at my wit's end. As every day went by, I started realizing something was wrong. And that’s before I knew she was a fraud,” the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer began in a statement shared to his Instagram Stories and through his representative.

Related: Billy Ray Cyrus Granted Emergency Motion to Keep Estranged Wife Firerose from Using His Credit Cards

“I just knew something wasn’t right. That was before I knew she was David Hodges' ex-wife. That’s before I knew her parents' last name,” he continued.

Cyrus claimed “everything I thought I knew about her, was a lie,” alleging that Firerose, 37, “was trying to take over my career, my life and usurp the Cyrus name for her own gain.”

He concluded his post by warning the artist that he would see her in court.

A rep for Firerose had no comment on the most recent developments.

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In the leaked audio, which lasted approximately one minute and 30 seconds, a man who sounds like Cyrus is heard arguing with Firerose about being late for an event, which a Firerose source claims was a Nicki Minaj concert Cyrus was invited to perform at in Tennessee.

"It's 9:15 you idiot. I needed to leave two hours ago," the Hannah Montana alum said in the clip obtained by PEOPLE.

"No, you didn't. You can still leave and get there in time," Firerose replied.

Related: Billy Ray Cyrus Says Wife Firerose Tried to 'Isolate' Him by Blocking Communication with a Daughter

As the conversation continued, Cyrus was heard telling Firerose to “shut the f--- up” and called her a “f---ing selfish bitch” while she asked him to “please stop screaming at me.”

In addition to Cyrus addressing the leaked audio, Rose Palermo and Jason Talley of Cheatham Palermo and Garrett, who are representing him in his divorce, also shared a statement with PEOPLE.

The attorneys referred to the leak as “an apparent last-ditch effort to squeeze money out of Mr. Cyrus.”

“Mr. Cyrus previously admitted in a court filing that he had been very vocally frustrated and angry with Ms. Hodges during their 7-month marriage as he began to uncover more and more of Ms. Hodges' true motives for marrying him,” Palermo and Talley said.

Related: A Complete Breakdown of the Cyrus Family Drama

“With regards to this recording, Ms. Hodges is the person who made the recording without telling Mr. Cyrus that she was recording him. Of course, she was intentionally on her best behavior since she knew the recording was being made,” they added.

In June, a source told PEOPLE the former couple’s split had to do with Firerose not being who Cyrus thought she was, adding he was "more relieved every day that he's done with his marriage."

"His instincts have been correct all along," the source said. "He believes she only married him for financial and other reasons. He's convinced that she didn't marry him for love."

Firerose previously accused the country star of “extreme verbal, emotional and psychological abuse” in documents filed June 14, while Cyrus filed paperwork 10 days later claiming he was verbally, emotionally and physically abused by Firerose.

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