Remember When Dolly Parton Shut Down Journalist After He Asked Her About Trump?
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For the entirety of her career, Dolly Parton has made a point to never to talk politics. Although she supported same-sex marriage, her message was always about unity.
In her song “Eagle When She Flies,” she sang, “Some are preachers, some are gay. Some are addicts, drunks and strays. But not a one is turned away when it’s family.”
Dolly Parton Always Avoided Politics – Even When It Was Live
In September 2017, Dolly Parton received a lot of flack for her 9 to 5 reunion with co-stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin at the Emmy Awards. Although the trio received a standing ovation when they walked out arm in arm, the tone took a turn when Fonda and Tomlin made a dig at President Trump.
Parton refrained from the political talk and looked visibly shocked by her co-stars’ comments. She tried to lighten the mood by saying a joke at her own expense. Even though she didn’t utter a word about politics, people still ripped on Parton and flooded her social media with negative comments.
A month after the Emmys, Parton told PEOPLE, “I don’t do politics. I’m an entertainer. When I’m out there if all else fails, I just do a boob joke,” and that’s exactly what she did that night.
For some reason, even after this statement, Parton was continuously asked about her stance on politics, in particular, her views on President Trump.
She Avoided Politics In A March 2018 Interview
Just six months after the incident at the Emmys, Parton appeared on ABC News Nightline where the interviewer, David Wright, tried to get her to talk about politics.
She replied, “There are always prone to be political. And I had said up front, I am not being political. I don’t do politics. I’m not getting into any of that. Because I have a lot of fans out there and I don’t want to offend anybody. And besides, I don’t get into that. And so, if you are deciding you may want to ask me something more serious, don’t. Because I am not going to answer it.”
Even though she told Wright to not ask her about anything political, he did! Well, technically he didn’t ask her anything, he just brought it up.
“We do have a President of the United States who said those things on that bus,” he said, referencing President Trump’s comments that were recorded on an Access Hollywood bus with Billy Bush that came to light around the time of this interview.
RELATED: Meet Dolly Parton’s Niece, Danielle, Who’s A Decorated Military Veteran
She interrupted him, saying, “I’m not addressing that. I do not get into that. Of course I have my opinion about everybody and everything, but I learned a long time ago to keep your damn mouth shut if you want to stay in show business. I’m not in politics, I’m an entertainer.”
Do you agree with Dolly that entertainers should entertain, and stay out of politics? Let us know in the comments.
Watch her take down the reporter with her sassy response below.
