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Elle King’s Drunken Grand Ole Opry Performance Turned Ugly: Inside the Drama and Reactions
Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday tribute at the Grand Ole Opry went viral … and not for the best reasons. Country singer Elle King was one of the handful of artists who performed at the January 2024 event and her act grabbed the internet’s attention after she was visibly intoxicated on stage and shouted profanities at the crowd.
What Did Elle King Do at the Grand Ole Opry?
The “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” musician was the show’s second act of the evening that honored Dolly and was joined on stage by artists Ashley Monroe, Dailey & Vincent, Tigirlily Gold and Terri Clark. The group was prepared to sing Dolly’s song “Marry Me,” but Elle was too drunk to remember or recite the lyrics. As if her demeanor wasn’t already an indication of her inebriated behavior, Elle revealed to the crowd just how drunk she was after fumbling the words.
Fans shared clips of the show’s unhinged moment on TikTok and it quickly circulated the app. “Don’t tell Dolly. Holy s–t. I swear if any of you guys tell Dolly,” Elle told the audience in a video posted on January 20. “I’m not even gonna f–king lie. Y’all bought tickets for this s–t? You ain’t getting your money back. I’ll tell you one thing more. Hi, my name is Elle King. I’m f–king hammered.”
Reactions to Elle King’s Grand Ole Opry Performance
The venue’s X account (formerly known as Twitter) quickly apologized for the behavior that occurred that evening.
“We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance,” the Grand Ole Opry wrote via X on January 20 in response to a fan’s complaint.
Neither Elle nor Dolly have publicly addressed the stint. However, the “Ex’s and Oh’s” singer postponed five of her shows following the performance.
Dolly’s younger sister Stella Parton had no problem publicly reacting to the distasteful moment and also slammed Elle as a “lil girl.”
“I didn’t see nor hear the Grand Ole Opry birthday tribute to my big sister Dolly over the weekend. But some lil girl by the name of Elle King apparently cussed and insulted some of Dolly’s fans by not knowing a song. She did admit to being ‘hammered’ her word not mine,” Stella wrote via X on January 21. “But let me just say this, it wouldn’t be the first time a Hillbilly went on the stage of the Opry ‘hammered’ but I guess it’s ok if you’re a male but good lord don’t ever let a girl behave that way folks! Double f–king standard if ya ask me.”
Stella defended her blunt statement two days later, claiming, “When you disrespect someone in my family you have disrespected every one of us.”
“I know a lot about being disrespected in the music industry. However, I no longer stay silent when I see people behaving badly,” she wrote via X on January 23. “The bottom line is this, if you’re lucky enough to stand before a paying audience give them your best or get off the stage. I don’t buy the lame weak excuse of getting ‘hammered’ to get out there. The fans pay our wages FYI. They sometimes sacrifice to do so.”
