Elle King show postponed after backlash to Dolly Parton tribute concert

Country singer Elle King has postponed a show in Texas that was due to take place this Friday (25 January), amid a backlash over her disastrous performance at a Dolly Parton tribute concert.

The Grammy-nominated King, 34, who is the daughter of American actors Rob Schneider and London King, made a controversial appearance during an event held in honour of Parton’s 78th birthday.

Video footage from the Grand Ole Opry show on 19 January showed King telling the audience she was “hammered”, as she uttered a string of expletives before launching into a chaotic rendition of Parton’s song, “Marry Me”.

Amid a fierce backlash from fans who accused King of disrespecting the Queen of Country, the Grand Ole Opry issued an apology for the incident.

“We deeply regret and apologise 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.”

In a post to social media on Wednesday, Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas, said that King’s show had been moved to 21 September.

“Original event tickets will be accepted for the new date,” the announcement said. “Refunds are available at the point of purchase. Thank you for your understanding!”

Further details were not provided. The Independent has contacted King’s representative for comment.

Deadline reports that King also struggled during her performance on New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash.

Before performing her song “Drunk (And I Don’t Want to Go Home)”, she apparently remarked: “It’s OK, I live what I sing, y’all.”

The publication also reported that she appeared to slur her words during the performance.

King has so far not commented on the row surrounding the Grand Ole Opry event, but still has shows scheduled for next month up until October.

Parton has also not commented on the incident. However her sister, fellow singer Stella Parton, accused King of insulting the country legend’s fans.

“I didn’t see nor hear the Grand Ole Opry birthday tribute to my big sister Dolly over the weekend,” Stella wrote on X/Twitter on Monday 22 January.

“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.”

Parton released her latest album, Rockstar, last year, which featured a number of collaborations with her fellow music legends, including Sir Paul McCartney, Elton John and Debbie Harry.