What happened with Elle King at Dolly Parton's birthday? Grand Ole Opry issues apology for performance
What was supposed to be a tribute to Dolly Parton for her birthday turned into what was described as a "lackluster karaoke performer wasted out of their minds," prompting an apology from the Grand Ole Opry.
On Friday, artists gathered to perform some of Parton's timeless classics on the Nashville stage. Elle King was set to perform Parton's "Marry Me" but she didn't quite get the lyrics right. The singer-songwriter, and daughter of actor-comedian Rob Schneider, was caught on video from multiple angles performing what fans thought was a tasteless cover.
Update: Elle King reschedules these shows after backlash to 'hammered' Dolly Parton tribute appearance
Multiple TikToks have emerged of the performance leaving people to comment that King was very disrespectful to Parton and the tribute for her birthday.
"It was such a disappointment to spend $300 on tickets for a show where one of the artists ruined an entire night. I mean it’s The Opry, the greatest country venue in the world. That performance was like lackluster karaoke performer wasted out of their minds. Awful," read a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, which spurred an apology from the Grand Ole Opry.
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
The videos of King's rendition have been plastered all over TikTok and racked up millions of views, along with comments on what happened.
What happened with Elle King at Dolly Parton's birthday tribute?
Videos of King have circulated of her on stage telling the audience she didn't know the words to "Marry Me," and was "(expletive) hammered."
Fun night ruined by an incredibly disappointing Elle King ending @opry @WSMradio
— Alex Kurtz (@adkurtz7) January 20, 2024
"I don't know the lyrics to these things in this (expletive) town/Don't tell Dolly 'cause it's her birthday." Addressing the audience in a singsong manner, she said: "I'm not even gonna (expletive) lie … y'all bought tickets for this (expletive), you ain't getting your money back."
I watched this, and Elle King should be embarrassed for disrespecting Dolly Parton this way. I don't think the kids in the audience needed to see this either. https://t.co/1e3dk2gAjs
— Tina (@Whobugs) January 22, 2024
Then, she added: "I'll tell you one thing more … hi, my name is Elle King. I'm (expletive) hammered."
Neither King or Parton have commented about the performance.
Who played at Dolly Parton's 78th birthday at the Grand Ole Opry?
Besides King, Terri Clark, Tigirlily Gold, Ashley Monroe, Dailey and Vincent and more took to the stage to celebrate the reigning Queen of Country.
Not the first time Ella King received backlash. Remember New Year's Eve?
King's not new to receiving backlash for her drinking and performing.
At Nashville's New Year's Eve celebration on Dec. 31, 2023, the singer faced more social media criticism for her performances and slurring the words to her recent hit "Drunk (and I Don't Wanna Go Home)". Many viewers went on to social platforms to talk about King's performance and one even predicted that "Elle King is going to be the first meme of 2024."
She faced some criticism, but others pointed out that she isn't the only star who ends up appearing and performing on New Year's Eve after having a few.
USA Today contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Elle King performance at Dolly Parton tribute spurs Opry apology
