Harsh words from Dolly’s family…
In case you somehow missed it, Elle King has been heavily criticized over her performance on the Grand Ole Opry this weekend during the Opry’s Opry Goes Dolly tribute to Dolly Parton on the legend’s 78th birthday.
After appearing on the early show to perform “Jolene,” which reportedly went off without issue, King returned for the second show of the evening visibly intoxicated and started out her performance by slurring her way through Dolly’s “Marry Me” from her 2001 album Little Sparrow.
@traveler_bex #Elleking ruins #dollyparton birthday bash in #nashville ♬ original sound – Bex
King forgot the words to the song while telling the crowd in the middle of the song that she went to nearby Robert’s Western World:
“I went to Robert’s…I don’t give a sh*t…
Don’t tell Dolly. Holy sh*t. I swear to God if you guys tell Dolly…”
And it didn’t get any better from there. After the song, Elle unleashed a profanity-laced rant on the hallowed stage of the Ryman:
“Everyone’s like, ‘Holy sh*t, we bought tickets for this sh*t?’ I’m not even gonna lie. I’m not even gonna lie.
Holy sh*t. I’m not even gonna f*ckin’ lie. Y’all bought tickets for this sh*t? You ain’t gettin’ your money back.
I’ll tell you one thing that’s true. I’ll tell you one thing more.
Hi, my name is Elle King. I’m f*cking hammered.”
@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
Yikes…
Fans immediately took to social media to call the performance disrespectful not only to Dolly, but to the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium. (The Opry is also broadcast live on WSM Radio).
The Opry even responded to a fan on Twitter (or X), apologizing for the language used by Elle King during the performance.
And while Dolly hasn’t publicly addressed the incident after it blew up on social media over the weekend, her sister Stella Parton did take to Twitter (or X, whatever) to give her thoughts.
In her first comments on the incident, Stella admitted that she hadn’t seen the performance, but she also says it’s not the first time a “hillbilly” has appeared on the Opry hammered – and questioned whether there’s a double standard when it’s a woman who’s doing it:
And she also criticized Elle for not “doing her homework” to learn the words to the song:
To any lil ego thinking they can learn the lyrics correctly with a half assed listen to one of Dolly’s song. Surprise! You’ll end up looking as silly as that lil girl. Do your homework people. Memorize the lyrics to Jolene or COMC. My sister loves words. A brilliant word smith.
— Stella Parton (@StellaParton) January 22, 2024
In a follow-up tweet, Stella also said that King “embarrassed herself” by not respecting Dolly.
But apparently Stella’s had some time to think about the situation – and later came back with some harsh words for Elle King, calling her a “spoiled brat” who “just pissed on the star circle on the stage.”
“Since we’re comparing apples to oranges on here. I’m still stewing and thinking bout how any lil spoiled brat with an opportunity to sing on the Opry to pay tribute to a legendary songwriter like Dolly Parton would just piss on the star circle on the stage. Taylor Swift wouldn’t.”
She also called the Opry a “sacred space,” pointing out that disrespecting an audience is never a smart career move.
Elle King has yet to speak out on the performance herself, but hopefully it’s a wakeup call after the singer also caused concern while on Nashville’s New Year’s Eve Bash earlier this month and seeming to have started the party a little too early:
It’s one thing to embarrass yourself, but it’s definitely another to disrespect a legend like Dolly Parton and the Grand Ole Opry.
