Garth Brooks Calls Dolly Parton “The King Of Country Music” In ACM Awards Opening

Garth & Dolly Team Up At The ACM Awards

Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton served as the co-hosts of the 2023 ACM Awards. Parton has plenty of experience hosting the ACM Awards and other ceremonies. But this was Brooks’ first time ever hosting an awards show.

Although he was nervous, Brooks knew he was in good hands with Parton as his co-host.

“I mean, you’ve got your foundation and what you’re looking for here,” Brooks told Billboard. “You’ve got talent and class. Let’s represent country music the best that we can.”

Garth & Dolly Bring The Laughs During ACM Awards Opening

After Keith Urban delivered the first performance of the night, Brooks took to the stage to deliver the opening monologue. He started by talking about all of the country music legends who paved the path for him and other artists.

Some of the iconic artists he named were Merle Haggard, Keith Whitley, Johnny Cash, George Strait, and Randy Travis. But as he continued, he spoke about how he believes “The King of Country Music” is a woman…and that woman is Dolly Parton.

He also referred to Parton as “The G.O.A.T.” Fittingly, Parton entered the stage while wheeling a goat behind her in a wagon.

“Did I hear you say you were looking for a G.O.A.T.?” Parton said. “I’ve got your G.O.A.T. right here!”

After making a few quips about the goat, it was taken offstage so Parton and Brooks could continue their monologue. They made several other jokes that had the audience laughing like wild…including one joke about how Parton is Brooks’ “hall pass” (and his wife Trisha Yearwood‘s too).

If you missed Brooks and Parton’s opening monologue, be sure to check out the video below. They were hysterical together!