Elle King Makes Comeback Following Drunken Dolly Parton Tribute
on Mar 03, 2024
After her infamous, alcohol-fueled rendition of Dolly Parton’s classics at the Grand Ole Opry, Elle King returns to the spotlight, this time with a noticeable sobriety.
Following her cringe-worthy Grand Ole Opry performance at Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday celebration, King faced widespread criticism. A viral video captured her slurred speech and botched lyrics, shocking her fans.
Now, marking a significant comeback, Elle King took the stage at the Extra Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona on Friday (March 1). Her father, actor-comedian Rob Schneider, watched proudly from backstage.
King wore a red long-sleeve shirt paired with a red snakeskin skirt and sunglasses as she sang one of her hit songs. Unlike her previous performance, she spoke clearly and periodically drank water throughout the show.
It’s uncertain if King sought any form of treatment after her Dolly Parton performance. However, her confident delivery at the festival suggests she’s in good spirits, delivering a set of popular hits to the crowd.
Elle King’s Drunken Tribute To Dolly Parton
Previously, on Friday, January 19th, Music City celebrated Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday with “Opry Goes Dolly” at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville.
During her performance, Elle King unmistakably displayed intoxication as she openly admitted to being drunk on stage, accompanied by a barrage of profanity, slurred speech, and disruptions to her performance.
“Hi, my name is Elle King and I’m f***ing hammered.”
RELATED: “Hammered” Elle King Curses Her Way Through Dolly Parton Tribute Performance [VIDEO]
During her time on stage, Elle King continued to speak with slurred speech and use profanity before attempting to sing Dolly’s 2001 hit, “Marry Me.” However, due to her intoxicated state, she couldn’t remember the lyrics and instead improvised, changing the words to:
“I don’t give a s***” and “I don’t know the lyrics to these things in this f-ing town…Don’t tell Dolly ‘cause it’s her birthday.”
See below to watch a censored video of her Opry performance, which sparked the backlash.
Social Media Backlash From Fans
After her performance, many fans turned to social media to voice their disappointment, expressing their discontent with what they saw as a lack of respect shown towards the Opry, the historic Ryman Auditorium, and the beloved Queen of Country Music, Dolly Parton.
elle king. how disrespectful. not only to dolly, but to every single person who has walked on that stage. i seriously cannot even believe it.
— michaela ⚡︎ (@michaelaftrent) January 21, 2024
Fun night ruined by an incredibly disappointing Elle King ending @opry @WSMradio
— Alex Kurtz (@adkurtz7) January 20, 2024
The @opry is one of the few pure things left in this world. Elle King did one of the most disrespectful things you can do to that stage.
— Christopher Harkey (@ccharkey17) January 21, 2024
The Opry themselves promptly addressed a fan’s concerns on the X platform, offering an apology for Elle King’s use of inappropriate language during her performance.
Hi Judas, we deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance.
— Grand Ole Opry (@opry) January 20, 2024
After the incident, Elle King postponed a series of shows just six days later.
RELATED: Elle King Postpones 4 More Shows After Opry Performance Backlash
Shortly after video footage of Elle King’s intoxicated performance circulated widely, Dolly herself released a statement, expressing, “Elle is truly a talented artist. She’s a wonderful person, and she’s been dealing with some difficult challenges lately. She simply had a bit too much to drink.”
King never addressed the drunken Dolly Parton performance publicly, and it remains unclear whether she did so during her first live show since the incident on Friday.
We were glad to see that she appeared to be sober during her first show back, and we hope for the best for her moving forward.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, support is accessible. SAMHSA’s National Helpline offers free, confidential assistance 24/7, 365 days a year. Reach out by calling 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visiting their official website.
