Dolly Parton’s Sister, Stella, Calls Out Elle King After Drunken Tribute Performance
Gregg DeGuire/WireImage via Getty Images
Stella Parton, younger sister of country legend Dolly Parton, took to social media to call out Elle King after her drunken performance at the Opry on Friday (Jan. 19).
Elle King, singer, songwriter and daughter of comedian Rob Schneider, made headlines after she performed on the Grand Ole Opry drunk on Friday. King’s performance was part of “Opry Goes Dolly,” a celebration of Dolly’s 78th birthday held at the Ryman Auditorium.
When King took the stage, she introduced herself and told the crowd, “I’m f***ing hammered.” She continued with her profanity-laced dialogue, even interacting with hecklers from the crowd before attempting to sing Dollyâs 2001 hit, âMarry Me.â King then changed the lyrics to the song, instead singing âI donât give a s***â and âI donât know the lyrics to these things in this f***ing town ⦠Donât tell Dolly âcause itâs her birthday.âÂ
RELATED: ELLE KING’S “HAMMERED” DOLLY PARTON TRIBUTE UPSETS FANS
Grand Ole Opry Apologizes For Elle King’s Profanity
Fans took to social media to express their outrage over Elle’s performance and showed concern for her well-being. One reaction came from a fan who witnessed the event first-hand.
âElle King ruined the night with her horrible, drunk, and profane performance. Dolly Parton wouldâve been mortified. For our first time at the Opry, it was a shame we all had to witness that⦠It was such a disappointment to spend $300 on tickets for a show where one of the artists ruined an entire night,” the user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
In a public statement from the Grand Ole Opry, the only one since the incident, they responded to the fan, saying, âWe deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last nightâs second Opry performance.”
Stella Parton Calls Out Elle King
In a lengthy interaction with fans on X late Sunday night, Dolly’s younger sister, Stella, called out Elle King. Stella wrote:
“I didnât see nor hear the Grand Ole Opry birthday tribute to my big sister Dolly over the weekend. But some lil girl by the name of Elle King apparently cussed and insulted some of Dollyâs fans by not knowing a song. She did admit to being ‘hammered’ her word not mine.”
She continued by saying it wasn’t the first time a “hillbilly” sang on the hallowed Opry stage drunk. She further implied that the Opry only apologized because Elle is female.
“I guess itâs ok if youâre a male but good lord donât ever let a girl behave that way folks! Double f***ing standard if ya ask me. So the Opry is apologizing! Lol”
I didnât see nor hear the Grand Ole Opry birthday tribute to my big sister Dolly over the weekend. But some lil girl by the name of Elle King apparently cussed and insulted some of Dollyâs fans by not knowing a song. She did admit to being â hammeredâ her word not mine.
â Stella Parton (@StellaParton) January 22, 2024
Monday morning Stella shared more on the platform, saying that Taylor Swift would never “just p*** on the star circle” of a “sacred space.”
“Since weâre comparing apples to oranges on here. Iâm 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 wouldnât,” wrote Stella.
“For every singer, country or otherwise who has ever graced that stage and every fan who has ever sat in that audience we consider it a sacred space and a devine opportunity …Â Iâve never seen it do men or women any good to disrespect an audience.”
Stella discouraged commenters from making the incident political. Elle King’s dad, Rob Schneider, is an outspoken conservative and some fans brought up the point in comments made on Stella Parton’s post.
Both Dolly Parton and Elle King haven’t spoken out since Friday’s performance. Watch clips of Elle King’s controversial Grand Ole Opry appearance below. (Viewer discretion is advised due to profanity.)
Elle King admitted she was drunk during her disastrous performance at Dolly Partonâs 78th birthday celebration in Nashville on Friday night. https://t.co/NIMj9jIg1E pic.twitter.com/B5QB3JCvgc
â Page Six (@PageSix) January 22, 2024
