Dolly Parton on helping fund Moderna vaccine at start of pandemic: 'I knew something bad was on the rise'

Dolly Parton is "happy" to have played a part in funding Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, but believes she gets more credit than she deserves. The country legend, 75, reflected on last year's hefty donation in a new interview.

"When the pandemic came out, I just felt kind of led to do something because I knew something bad was on the rise, and I just wanted to kind of help with that, so I donated to help with that," Parton told U.K.'s Absolute Radio. "Mine was a small part, of course."

Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which aided in the development of Moderna's vaccine. She has repeatedly used her platform and urged people to get vaccinated.

"I probably get a lot more credit than I deserve, but I was happy to be part of that and to be able to try to stop something in its tracks that's really become such a monster for all of us," Parton continued. "So I was happy to do that. My heart just kind of leads me into where I'm supposed go and what I'm supposed to do at the time."

Parton's remarks made her a trending topic yet again, with people on Twitter comparing her to fellow country star, Carrie Underwood.

Underwood made headlines on Tuesday when she supposedly liked an anti-mask tweet from conservative commentator, Matt Walsh, about school mask mandates. It's a hot-button issue in Nashville where the American Idol alum raises here kids, ages 6 and 2. The tweet is still liked on her account, despite backlash.