Dolly Parton has finally spoken on Elle King’s disastrous tribute performance, in an interview with Extra Friday.
King faced significant backlash following her intoxicated performance during a birthday tribute to Parton at the Grand Ole Opry in January, sparking outrage among fans and prompting apologies from both King and the Opry itself. However, while the incident stirred controversy, the legendary country singer and honoree of the tribute, chose to take a more gracious approach when addressing the matter.
Dolly Parton has weighed in on Elle King’s drunken performance at a tribute concert to the country icon. Parton says King’s ‘a great girl’ and has ‘been going through a lot.’ https://t.co/ZOV36bgqOT
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) February 12, 2024
“Elle is really a great artist,” Parton told Extra. “She’s a great girl, and she’s been going through a lot of hard things lately. And she just had a little too much to drink. So, let’s just forgive that and forget it and move on, ’cause she felt worse than anybody ever could.” (RELATED: Dolly Parton Steals The Show At Thanksgiving NFL Game)
During the tribute concert, King’s performance of Parton’s “Marry Me” took an unexpected turn when she admitted to the audience that she didn’t know the lyrics and improvised her own. “I don’t know the lyrics to these things in this fucking town. Don’t tell Dolly ’cause it’s her birthday,” King said in the video.
A video also captured the artist’s expletive-laden acknowledgment of her intoxication. “Holy s—, I’m not even gonna f—ing lie, y’all bought tickets for this s—? You ain’t getting your money back. I’ll tell you one thing more. Hi, my name is Elle King and I’m f—ing hammered,” King said.