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Country singer Elle King says she was going through a “dark situation” in her life when she took the stage for her now-infamous Grand Ole Opry performance for Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday
“I’d taken one shot too many,” King told Bunnie XO during a recent appearance on her Dumb Blond podcast
“I learned so much from this experience,” King said, adding, “If I can come out of it, literally anyone can”
Country singer Elle King is opening up about what happened before — and after — her infamous viral performance at the Grand Ole Opry, where she drunkenly slurred her words and swore at the crowd.
King, 36, told Bunnie XO during a recent appearance on her Dumb Blonde podcast that at the time, she was going through “a dark situation” in her life when she took the stage Jan. 19, 2024, to honor Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday.
“I played two shows that day. I played two f—— shows. The first show was great. It was perfect,” the “High Road” singer said. “But I hadn’t eaten … I hadn’t slept in days. Had such bad anxiety.”
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Elle King performs in Sacramento, Calif., in October 2024.
She shared that by the time she walked on stage, “I’d taken one shot too many,” explaining that she had popped into a bar earlier where “a bunch of people were celebrating.”
“I took one shot of tequila when I had been drinking a martini,” the “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer explained, adding she was also “the tiniest I’d ever been.” She then alludes to being in a blackout: “Boom, I come to and like, the curtain’s down, and it sucks. It’s awful.”
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While onstage, King — who told the audience she was “f——- hammered” and swore multiple times — argued with members of the crowd about getting a refund and improvised words to Parton’s song, “Marry Me.”
“I never want to cry like that in a car ride home. I never want to wake up feeling like that ever again. I never want to feel that shame,” she said. King shared that Parton called her afterwards: “Anytime Dolly Parton calls you is cool … but I didn’t want it to be under those circumstances.”
“She called me to make me feel better,” King said, adding that Parton is “proof of angels.”
Parton, now 79, spoke out publicly after the performance, sharing that she hoped people wouldn’t hold a grudge against King. “Elle is really a great artist,” Parton told Extra. “She’s a great girl, and she’s been going through a lot of hard things lately.”
“She just had a little too much to drink, so let’s just forgive that and forget it and move on, ’cause she felt worse than anyone ever could.”
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Dolly Parton in Nashville in May 2025.
After her appearance, the Grand Ole Opry apologized for her performance, but as King told Bunnie, “I’ve spoken to everyone at the Opry and they said that I’m not banned.”
“I learned so much from this experience. And like, if I can come out of it, literally anyone can,” King said. “And I’ve had so many experiences like that. I hope I have less of them in the future … like, come on, like my book of lessons is getting kind of full.”
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