On January 21st, 2024, Elle King was among several artists who took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, to perform some of Dolly Parton’s hits as part of a birthday tribute concert.
The Grand Ole Opry, which has been hosting live country music shows since 1925, is considered the most prestigious and revered venue in the genre, and a place where Parton herself has performed many times.
However, King showed no respect or reverence for the occasion, as she appeared to be intoxicated, profane, and unprepared during her performance.
King struggled to remember the words to Parton’s classic, “Marry Me”. She substituted the lyrics with vulgar and nonsensical phrases, such as “I don’t give a s***” and “I don’t know the lyrics to these things in this f*****g town”.
She also admitted to being “f*****g hammered” on stage, and responded to the angry and disappointed audience by saying, “You ain’t getting your money back”. She then attempted to sing one of her songs, but failed to impress the crowd, who booed and heckled her throughout her set.
King’s performance received a lot of backlash from fans, critics, and even fellow musicians. Many expressed their outrage and disappointment on social media, saying that King ruined the night and that Parton would have been mortified by her behavior.
Some also questioned her motives and intentions, as she has been trying to transition from pop-rock to country music in recent years, and wondered if she was deliberately trying to cultivate an outlaw image or sabotage her own career.
The Grand Ole Opry recently issued an apology to a fan on X (formerly Twitter), saying,
“We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance”.
As of the time of writing, Elle King, who is the daughter of comedian Rob Schneider and model London King, has not commented on her performance, nor has Parton herself.
