Elle King sparked outrage when she took to the Ryman Auditorium stage on Friday evening (Jan. 19), openly admitting to being “hammered” drunk, to perform at the “Opry Goes Dolly” event. The performance, which attendees have dubbed “disrespectful [to Dolly],” even prompted the Grand Ole Opry to respond to the backlash.
Elle King Admitted She Was “Hammered” During her “Opry Goes Dolly” Performance
The 34-year-old country star came under fire after appearing visibly and admittedly drunk during her performance at the event, which was in celebration of the legendary “9 to 5” singer’s 78th Birthday. King performed a stunning cover of Parton’s “9 to 5,” before going into a cover of “Marry Me,” during which she forgot the lyrics and began blurting out expletives while bantering with the crowd.
“Don’t tell Dolly, holy sh*t. I swear to God if you guys tell Dolly…” King told the crowd, while also sharing that she doesn’t know the lyrics to the tune. She then went on to question the audience, saying, “Everyone’s like holy sh*t we bought tickets for this sh*t. Holy sh*t, I’m not even gonna fu**ing lie, y’all bought tickets for this sh*t?”
“You ain’t getting your money back,” King, whose real name is Tanner Elle Schneider, said after a heckler in the crowd shouted out to her. “I’ll tell you one thing more: ‘Hi, my name is Elle King [and] I’m f**king hammered.’”
“We’re celebrated Dolly Parton’s birthday the good ole fashioned way,” King’s background vocalist shared into the microphone. “We’re celebrating Dolly’s birthday with the bottle.”
Her background vocalist then asked King to perform one of her songs, to which King replied, “I can barely play another person’s songs, let’s see if I can play one of mine.”
Backlash Ensues After King’s “Disrespectful” Performance At The Ryman
Many concertgoers flooded social media with the videos of King’s “intoxicated” performance, which quickly went viral and made major headlines.
One fan took to TikTok to share a clip, which she captioned, “Elle King disrespected the Ryman and Dolly Parton.” In the clip, the fan explained, “I think we just watched the demise of Elle King’s career, and it was Dolly’s Birthday Tribute show at The Ryman. She said f**ck about 15 times prior to this and forgot the words to the Dolly song she was supposed to sing. At the end they shut the curtain on her, ended the variety show and said Goodnight.”
Other fans declared that Elle King should never be allowed to perform on the Opry’s sacred stage ever again, writing “Oh Elle King is never getting invited back to the Opry” and “Elle King did one of the most disrespectful things you can do to that stage.”
Grand Ole Opry Responds To Elle King Backlash
Another disappointed attendee named Judas Belmont, who was in attendance at the show, took to X to express their disappointment about the situation, especially since it was their first time visiting the Mother Church of Country Music. Judas’ post was in response to the Opry’s announcement that Lauren Alaina could no longer perform at the event.
“Elle King ruined the night with her horrible, drunk, and profane performance. Dolly Parton would’ve been mortified. For our first time at The Opry, it was a shame we all had to witness that,” Judas wrote. He later added, “It was such a disappointment to spend $300 on tickets for a show where one of the artists ruined an entire night. I mean, it’s The Opry, the greatest country venue in the world. That performance was like a lackluster karaoke performer wasted out of their minds. Awful.”
A representative for the Grand Ole Opry responded and apologized to the upset fan, writing, “We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance.”
The “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” singer has faced major backlash throughout social media and within the media since this performance. Elle King, nor her representatives, have commented on the situation as of the time of publishing this article.
Opry Goes Dolly At The Ryman
“Opry Goes Dolly” was hosted by the Grand Ole Opry at The Ryman Auditorium. This year marked the second annual event celebrating Parton’s birthday. The Opry hosted a series of two shows (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) on the country music icon’s 78th birthday, January 19, 2024.
The “Opry Goes Dolly” events featured performances from Terri Clark, Dailey & Vincent, and Don Schlitz as well as special guests Elle King, Ashley Monroe, and Tigirlily Gold.
These country artists graced the stage to pay tribute to the “Jolene” singer and Grand Ole Opry member with performances of some of her most cherished hits. Additionally, a lucky sweepstakes’ winner appeared on stage during the show to lead the audience in a rendition of “Happy Birthday” to celebrate the musical icon.
A massive birthday card was also on display for concertgoers to sign in honor of Parton’s special day. $5 from each ticket sold for the shows went to the Opry Trust Fund in recognition of Parton. Over five decades, the fund has provided support to individuals within the country music community facing hardships.
While the events did celebrate Dolly Parton’s birthday, unfortunately the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was not in attendance.
