Dolly Parton isn’t holding a grudge against fellow musician Elle King after that widely panned birthday tribute.
In a recent interview with “Extra,” Parton urged her fans to “move on” from the controversy surrounding King’s seemingly inebriated rendition of “Marry Me” on Jan. 19, which made headlines.
“Elle is really a great artist,” the 10-time Grammy winner said. “She’s a great girl, and she’s been going through a lot of hard things lately.”
She added: “She just had a little too much to drink, so let’s just forgive that and forget it and move on, because she felt worse than anybody ever could.”
Watch Dolly Parton’s chat with “Extra” below.
King, who has released three studio albums and is the daughter of “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” actor Rob Schneider, was among a host of performers who appeared at a Grand Ole Opry concert in honor of Parton’s 78th birthday.
Footage of the event that went viral on TikTok and other social media platforms shows King appearing to forget the lyrics to “Marry Me” and describing herself as “fucking hammered” after taking the stage.
“I’m not even gonna fucking lie. Y’all bought tickets for this shit?” she said at one point. “You ain’t getting your money back.”
Like many Grand Ole Opry events, the concert aired live on Nashville’s WSM Radio. The station reportedly was inundated with complaints following the broadcast.
The Grand Ole Opry addressed the backlash with a curt statement on X (formerly Twitter) in response to a fan’s complaint but did not mention King by name.
“We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance,” the statement said.
King has yet to issue a public statement on the incident and has notably kept a low profile on social media. She did, however, postpone several tour dates immediately following the Dolly Parton tribute show.
According to her website, King, a four-time Grammy nominee who had a top 10 single with “Ex’s & Oh’s” in 2014, is slated to return to the concert stage next month in Tempe, Arizona.
