Sally Field Remembers “Angel On Earth” Dolly Parton In Emotional Emmy Speech
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The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards took place last night, Monday, September 14, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California.
Between awarding actors, writers, and directors for their incredible accomplishments this year, the ceremony also took time to remember some of the great talents we’ve lost.
One of those tributes was dedicated to Dolly Parton, who passed away on August 25 after a brief battle with cancer.
Parton’s friends Sally Field and Reba McEntire took the stage to show their respects. Before McEntire gave a performance in honor of the country legend, Field delivered an incredibly touching speech about the impact Parton had on the world.
“If there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one,” Field began.
Field and Parton had known each other for decades. They first met while starring in the iconic 1989 film Steel Magnolia.
Field went on to say that although life took them in different directions and they lived far apart, she “never stopped loving her.”
“She was genuine and humble, supportive, and blistering funny…I couldn’t see then what a real giant Dolly was. Not just as an artist, but as a human.”
Fields continued, “She was a humanitarian whose contributions have made a profound difference in the lives of so many in her home state of Tennessee and across our country. God bless you, Dolly Parton my friend. I am not the only one on earth that will love you forever and ever.”
The actress then introduced McEntire to the stage, where she gave a beautiful performance of Parton’s song “Appalachian Mountains.”
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Sally Field Gets Choked Up Remembering Dolly Parton
After the 2026 Emmy Awards, Field stopped by the press room to talk to reporters about her big win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
The first question she was asked was what it meant to her to be part of the special tribute to Parton.
“As an actor, you spend a whole lot of time, especially me, trying to make yourself cry. And I was trying to make myself not cry. So, it was hard.”
Field got a little visibly choked up as she remembered the good times she shared with Parton. She said they spent nearly every day together while filming with the rest of the cast.
“I live in this acting world where you do films and you’re so bonded with this group of people. It’s like being in battle together,” she said.
“It’s like being in Battle of the Bulge together and you save each other’s lives and you got each other’s backs and you spend 24/7 with each other and we would go shopping together all of us and go to the Walmart together.”
She reiterated that she “never stopped” loving Dolly, even though they weren’t able to stay in touch as much as she would have liked. Still, Field said she believes Parton felt the same affection for her all these years.
