She really was the queen of late night TV interviews.
Yesterday, Dolly Parton passed away yesterday morning at 80-years-old in Nashville Tennessee. Dolly had been dealing with undisclosed health issues for the last year or so, and she previously shared that she was having issues with severe kidney stones. Aside from that, she understandably didn’t share more, though it has since been revealed that she suffered a “brief battle with cancer.”
She 1970s with Johnny Carson, and later, she appeared on Conan O’Brien’s Late Night Show multiple times, each one the more memorable than the last. I still love her story about the first time she ever went to New York City with her friend in the late 60s, and if you haven’t heard it before, you should read about it HERE because it’s a classic.
But prior to that interview, in 2001, Dolly stopped by and came out in a striking black outfit, leading to playful banter and Dolly telling the story about when she got dared to streak across Tom Jones’ lawn after a few margaritas.
She never knew if he saw her, but she said she didn’t think she “impress him much,” though I would have to beg to differ with her there… this was peak Dolly and she was a total knockout, in the prime of her career, and of course, Conan got an idea after that story.
He couldn’t believe a simple dare would make Dolly do that, so he dared her take of “all of her clothes,” and she eventually went along with the bit, joking that she needed to take her cross necklace off first:
“I better get this cross off. Will you help me with that? Okay, now, you may have to help me with this, now, because this is hard here.”
He loved the idea of helping with the zipper:
“Help you with the zipper? Yes.”
As they (jokingly) try to take Dolly’s clothes off, the camera cuts to a message that reads:
“We are experiencing technical difficulties.”
When they come back to air, Dolly and Conan both look frazzled and a little disheveled, as he jokes:
“That was amazing.”
Dolly didn’t miss a beat, responding:
“It was good for me, was it good for you?”
She told him that even Tom Jones couldn’t compare, either:
“We made it. Tom Jones ain’t got nothin’ on you.”
She could keep up with the best comedians in the world… what a treasure:
Fans have been sharing tons of old videos of Dolly, and this one has gotten a huge response online response with millions of views as many are seeing it for the first time and experiencing that one-of-a-kind Dolly humor:
“Was just grinning and cheesing at this clip a few days ago, now I wanna die. What a gift Dolly was.”
“What a woman.”
“She knew she was a bad b****!”
“She was 55 years old here and still smoking shit. I know in her prime she was sum serious.”
“Late night talk shows used to be funny.”
“Of all things I started crying at this… her sweet laugh.”
“Mind you she was in her 50’s. The coldest.”
“Realest hot girl to live.”
“The way he openly thirsted after her every time she was a guest.”
“I gotta see what Jolene look like.”
“She’s so cool. And gorgeous too!”
“She might be the hottest woman to ever live. It’s not just her looks, it’s the way she handles herself.”
“She was 55 years old… and still looked that good.”
“Generational.”
“She was something else.”
Dolly was known for her incredible musical talents, but fans know how funny she was too. She really was one of the funniest people ever, she had a wicked sense of humor, and that clip shows off her personality so well. She was never afraid to make fun of herself, she knew exactly who she was, and she was often the first one to make a joke about everything under the sun.
Clearly, she charmed Conan, and the world will certainly miss Dolly the person just as much as Dolly the musical icon.
