Elle King partied too hard for Dolly Parton’s birthday.
On Friday, January 19th, Music City celebrated Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday with “Opry Goes Dolly” at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. The lineup for the evening included Terri Clark, Elle King, Tigirlily Gold, Ashley Monroe, Don Schlitz, and more. The Opry stage is one of the most respected and revered in country music, however, that sentiment seemed to have been lost on alternative country artist Elle King.
The singer-songwriter, and daughter of actor-comedian Rob Schneider, took the stage visibly intoxicated and introduced herself on the mic saying:
“Hi, my name is Elle King and I’m f***ing hammered.”
Elle King’s Dolly Parton tribute performance was riddled with slurred speech and profane language.
While on stage, Elle King continued with slurred and profanity-laced dialogue before attempting to sing Dolly’s 2001 hit, “Marry Me.” She was not able to remember the lyrics in her inebriated state, and instead changed the lyrics to:
“I don’t give a s***” and “I don’t know the lyrics to these things in this f-ing town … Don’t tell Dolly ‘cause it’s her birthday.”
In an attempt to rectify the situation, one of King’s bandmates suggested that she sing one of her own songs instead of the Dolly Parton classic. King responded:
“I can barely play another person’s song, let me see if I can play one of mine.”
Fans are noticing a concerning theme with Elle King’s recent performances.
Shortly after the event, videos of Elle King’s performance began to circulate the internet and fans were quick to respond. Many called her performance “disrespectful” and “a disgrace” to both Dolly Parton and the Grand Ole Opry.
The @opry is one of the few pure things left in this world. Elle King did one of the most disrespectful things you can do to that stage.
— Christopher Harkey (@ccharkey17) January 21, 2024
#ElleKing disgraced one of the biggest legends of not just country, but of the world. How dare you. #mess
— ryan (@MakeupRyDesign) January 21, 2024
elle king. how disrespectful. not only to dolly, but to every single person who has walked on that stage. i seriously cannot even believe it.
— michaela ⚡️ (@michaelafaitht) January 21, 2024
This comes less than one month after Elle King received criticism for appearing to be drunk on stage at Nashville’s New Year’s Eve Bash on December 31st, These back-to-back incidents have caused fans to be concerned for King, many expressing that she should seek help.
what in the actual ? #elleking #newyearevelive pic.twitter.com/DZvvACI69f
— Russell Grant (@RussellGrant23) January 1, 2024
Someone get Elle King some help. First the NYE disaster and now she has disrespected Dolly in the Mother Church.
— Karen Jenkins (@k_arkley) January 21, 2024
I hope Elle King gets the help she clearly needs and can get sober.
— Hannah Taylor (@hantayofficial) January 21, 2024
The Grand Ole Opry Apologizes After Elle King’s Drunken Behavior
In a response posted to X (formerly Twitter), the Grand Ole Opry issued an apology to one fan’s complaint, saying:
“We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance.”
Hi Judas, we deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance.
— Grand Ole Opry (@opry) January 20, 2024
As of press time, Elle King has not commented on the incident.
See a clip from Elle King’s Grand Ole Opry performance in the video below (Viewer discretion is advised due to profanity).