Singer/songwriter Jesse McCartney has defended Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus's controversial Vanity Fair shoot - insisting the pictures were not "offensive".

The 21-year-old stuck up for the 15-year-old actress following the backlash the Disney Channel star encountered after posing for photos, which have been deemed too sexy for a teenager.

Cyrus' clean cut image was damaged by the release of images of her wrapped in just a satin bedsheet in June's edition of the U.S. magazine.

And McCartney can't understand why the media reacted so strongly.

He says, "I think that people are nuts. I didn't find any of the photos offensive in Vanity Fair. I thought they were artistic if anything.

"It sucks man. Everything about Miley was so sensationalised. I really feel for her you know."