Elle King Addresses Her Tipsy Conduct At Grand Ol’ Opry Dolly Parton Tribute
Elle King took to Instagram on Sunday and spoke out about her performance at a January tribute to Dolly Parton. During her stage time, she slurred words, forgot lyrics, and cursed, the latter a major no-no at the staid Grand Ol’ Opry.
King, 34, was one of multiple country stars who took the stage. She admitted to being “hammered.”
More from Deadline
Pitbull Calls Dolly Parton Music Collab An "Honor": "She's The Real Deal"
Beyoncé Given The Country Music Seal Of Approval By Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton On Potential 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Revival: "They're Still Working On That"
The Instagram post on Sunday included a video of King running up and down the stands of a concert venue during a workout.
“To everyone sending me love because I’m human and already talked to Dolly 💅 I love you,” she wrote over the video. “To everyone who told me to k*ll myself, I love you too.”
In the post’s caption, King said, “Oh no was my human showing🫶❤️🫂,” and added a hashtag, “#WWDD,” seemingly standing for “What would Dolly do?”
King postponed several concerts in the wake of her Opry appearance and rescheduled them for later this year.
She shared the new dates on her Instagram Story for shows in Shipshewana, Indiana; Waukegan, Illinois; Harris, Michigan; and Dallas, Texas.
“Your tickets will be valid for the new dates. If you can’t make the new date, refunds are available at the point of purchase,” King wrote. “See you there!”
Parton came to King’s defense in an interview with Extra as she issued a plea to “forgive” her.
“Elle is really a great artist. She’s a great girl, and she’s been going through a lot of hard things lately,” Parton said. “And 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.”
King returned to the stage earlier this month for the first time since the January incident, appearing at the Extra Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona.
The Grand Ole Opry apologized for the January 19 incident on social media. “We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance,” the venue said. “For our first time at The Opry, it was a shame we all had to witness that.”
King also struggled on New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash. Before performing her track “Drunk (And I Don’t Want to Go Home),” King said, “It’s OK, I live what I sing, y’all,” and appeared to slur her words during that performance.
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.