Dolly Parton’s sister reacts to Elle King’s disastrous performance at the country legend’s birthday party

Country singer Elle King caused a stir with her performance at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium after footage emerged showing her admitting to being “drunk” during a tribute performance for Dolly Parton.

The show took place on Friday, February 19, as the second of two concerts at the Grand Ole Opry to celebrate the Queen of Country’s 78th birthday.

Video footage shared on social media shows King, 34, seemingly slurring her words as she tells the audience she was “drunk” before launching into a chaotic cover of Parton’s song “Marry Me.”

“I don’t know the lyrics to this stuff in this damn town, don’t tell Dolly because it’s her birthday,” she said.

Addressing the audience, she added: “I’m not going to fucking lie… you all bought tickets for this shit, you’re not getting your money back.”

Parton herself was not present, but King’s behavior was described by fans as “disrespectful,” while her sister Stella Parton accused King of insulting Parton’s fans.

“I did not see or hear the Grand Ole Opry’s birthday tribute to my big sister Dolly over the weekend,” Stella wrote on X/Twitter on Monday, January 22.

“But a little girl named Elle King apparently yelled and insulted some of Dolly’s fans because she didn’t know a song. She admitted she was ‘cheated’ and that’s her word, not mine.”

“I don’t know anything about Elle King so I’ll start by saying this,” wrote one fan. “But you will not disrespect Dolly Parton and the Ryman by swearing and being so drunk it’s not even funny. While trying to perform. What she did is an absolute disgrace and she seriously needs help.”

“Elle King is trash!” said another fan. “I couldn’t believe she was disrespecting such a beloved icon as Dolly Parton, and at the Ryman of all places!”

“We deeply regret and apologize for the language used during last night’s second Opry performance,” the venue said in response to fans’ complaints.

The Independent has contacted representatives for King and Parton for comment.

Numerous events took place in Nashville over the weekend to celebrate Parton’s birthday.

Other artists who performed at the Opry event included Terri Clark, Ashley Monroe and Dailey and Vincent.

In Parton’s honor, organizers donated $5 per ticket to the Opry Trust Fund, which helps needy members of the music community.

Parton released her latest album, Rock Star, last year, which included a series of collaborations with her fellow music legends such as Sir Paul McCartney, Elton John and Debbie Harry.

“I wanted it to be good because I wanted rock artists to hear it and say, ‘You know, that’s not bad!'” Parton said. The Independent in a recent interview.

“I think it turned out really well. I’m proud of it!”