Dolly Parton Breaks Her Silence About Elle King’s Opry Incident

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Jason Bell/Netflix, Facebook/Elle King

Dolly Parton has finally spoken out regarding Elle King’s controversial performance at the Grand Ole Opry.

Elle King’s Controversial Opry Show

In January, Elle King found herself under fire following her performance at the Grand Ole Opry during a special concert honoring Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday. The infamous show sparked a social media uproar due to Elle King being intoxicated while performing.

@auctioneergirl I think Elle King just ended here career. I cant imagine disrespecting Dolly at the @Grand Ole Opry on Dollys birthday 🤦🏼‍♀️ I hope Elle gets the help she needs cause this does not pass the vibe check. **This is not my video** • • • #thegrandoleopry #drunk #elleking #ellekingmusic #Tennessee #fyp #foryoupage #foryoupageofficiall #fypシ #fypシ゚viral ♬ original sound – Victoria

Videos circulating online captured King openly acknowledging her drunkenness before delivering what fans criticized as a disrespectful rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Marry Me.” In the footage, King appears to be slurring her words and uses explicit language several times.

“Hi, my name is Elle King, I’m f***ing hammered.”

King also addresses the audience, stating “I’m not even gonna f***ing lie…ya’ll bought tickets for this sh**? You ain’t getting your money back.”

The incident triggered significant backlash and frustration over what many labeled as an inappropriate tribute to the Queen of Country.

Dolly Breaks Her Silence About Elle King’s Opry Performance

In an exclusive interview with ExtraTV, Dolly Parton finally broke her silence on the matter. Dolly defended Elle King, describing her as a “really great artist” and a “great girl.”

“She’s been going through a lot of hard things lately, and she just had a little too much to drink,” Dolly said, showing support.

Dolly urged the public to show empathy and compassion, calling for forgiveness and for everyone to move past the incident.

“So let’s forgive that and forget it and move on, cause she felt worse than anybody ever could,” she concluded the conversation.

Following the backlash from her performance, Elle King has canceled all her previously planned appearances. Despite the widespread attention and criticism the incident has received, King has chosen to remain silent and has not issued a public statement addressing the situation.

See Dolly break her silence about Elle King below.

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About the Author

Megan Grisham

Hi, I'm Megan, a Nashville, TN native born and raised. I started my writing career in the entertainment industry, and living in the heart of Music City has given me an incredible chance to contribute to the world of country music. Today, I have found myself working alongside some of the biggest names in the…

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