Stella Parton Slams Elle King For Disrespecting Sister Dolly Parton With Drunk, Profanity-Laced Performance

“When you disrespect someone in my family, you have disrespected every one of us,” Stella wrote.

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Andrew Wendowski

Andrew Wendowski is the Founder and CEO of Music Mayhem. As a 29-year-old entrepreneur, he oversees content as the Editor-In-Chief for the independent brand. Wendowski, who splits time between Philadelphia, Penn., and Nashville, Tenn., has an extensive background in multimedia. Before launching Music Mayhem in 2014, he worked as a highly sought-after photojournalist and tour photographer, collaborating with such labels as Interscope Records and Republic Records. He has captured photos of some of the biggest names, including Taylor Swift, Metallica, Harry Styles, P!NK, Morgan Wallen, Carrie Underwood, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Shania Twain, and hundreds more. Wendowski’s photos and freelance work have appeared nationwide and can be seen everywhere from ad campaigns to various publications, including Billboard and Rolling Stone. When Wendowski isn’t running Music Mayhem, he enjoys spending time at concerts, traveling, and capturing photos.

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Posted on January 23, 2024

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Stella Parton, Dolly Parton’s Sister, Photo Courtesy of Facebook; Elle King, Photo Courtesy of TikTok

Dolly Parton‘s sister Stella Parton slammed Elle King after she “cussed and insulted some of Dolly’s fans” during her performance at The Ryman Auditorium on Friday evening (Jan. 19). The incident occurred as Elle King paid tribute to Dolly Parton on her 78th birthday as part of the “Opry Goes Dolly” event.

Stella Parton Is Outraged By Elle King’s Disrespectful Tribute To Sister Dolly Parton

Just days after King’s profanity-laced performance, Stella Parton took to social media to share her opinion and condemn King’s behavior that took place during her tribute to the “9 to 5” singer, which she said “disrespected” her family.

“I didn’t 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 Dolly’s fans by not knowing a song. She did admit to being ‘hammered’ her word not mine,” Stella wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “But let me just say this, it wouldn’t be the first time a Hillbilly went on the stage of the Opry ‘hammered’ but I guess it’s ok if you’re a male but good lord don’t ever let a girl behave that way folks! Double f**king standard if ya ask me. So the Opry is apologizing! Lol.”

Stella went on to criticize King for forgetting the lyrics to “Marry Me,” a song written and recorded by Dolly Parton. “To any lil ego thinking they can learn the lyrics correctly with a half assed listen to one of Dolly’s song,” Stella continued. “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.”

“There’s many different ways for a female singer to make a name for herself like maybe doing your damn homework,” Stella later added, “That’s enough said imo. That’s it. For every singer, country or otherwise, who has graced that stage and every fan who has ever sat in that audience, we consider it a sacred space and a Devine opportunity.”

Parton’s Sister Stella Explains Why She Chose To Comment On The Situation?

A day after Stella Parton’s initial commentary, she returned to social media to elaborate on her reason for commenting on the situation, which made major headlines.

“When you disrespect someone in my family, you have disrespected every one of us. I choose to speak up on my own personal platforms because it’s my prerogative. I know a lot about being disrespected in the music industry. However, I no longer stay silent when I see people behaving badly.” Stella explained. “The bottom line is this, if you’re lucky enough to stand before a paying audience, give them your best or get off the stage. I don’t buy the lame, weak excuse of getting ‘hammered’ to get out there. The fans pay our wages, FYI. They sometimes sacrifice to do so.”

Elle King Admittedly performed “Hammered” During Her “Opry Goes Dolly” Performance

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 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?”

Elle King at Opry Goes Dolly Event, Photo Courtesy of Social Media
Elle King at Opry Goes Dolly Event, Photo Courtesy of Social Media

“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 Issues Apology, Elle King Has Yet To Release A Statement

The situation even prompted the Grand Ole Opry to respond to the backlash and apologize to fans in attendance. “We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance,” a representative for the Opry wrote on Twitter in response to one upset fan, who expressed their disappointment on social media.

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” 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.

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Written by

Andrew Wendowski is the Founder and CEO of Music Mayhem. As a 29-year-old entrepreneur, he oversees content as the Editor-In-Chief for the independent brand. Wendowski, who splits time between Philadelphia, Penn., and Nashville, Tenn., has an extensive background in multimedia. Before launching Music Mayhem in 2014, he worked as a highly sought-after photojournalist and tour photographer, collaborating with such labels as Interscope Records and Republic Records. He has captured photos of some of the biggest names, including Taylor Swift, Metallica, Harry Styles, P!NK, Morgan Wallen, Carrie Underwood, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Shania Twain, and hundreds more. Wendowski’s photos and freelance work have appeared nationwide and can be seen everywhere from ad campaigns to various publications, including Billboard and Rolling Stone. When Wendowski isn’t running Music Mayhem, he enjoys spending time at concerts, traveling, and capturing photos.

See more posts from Andrew Wendowski

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