'Hammered' Elle King's Expletive-Laden Dolly Parton Show Sparks Uproar

Singer Elle King "just ended her career," according to some music fans, after she performed drunk at a Dolly Parton tribute show.

The Grand Ole Opry hosted the "Opry Goes Dolly" show in honor of the legend's 78th birthday on Friday, which featured a star-studded lineup at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The event included performers such as Terri Clark, Tigirlily and Ashley Monroe.

But it was King's performance that stole the limelight for all the wrong reasons, as she admitted being "f****** hammered" on stage.

elle king and dolly parton
Elle King on May 12, 2023, in Austin, Texas, and (inset) Dolly Parton on November 23, 2023, in Arlington, Texas. King admitted to being drunk during a tribute performance to Dolly. Hubert Vestil/Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

The "Ex's & Oh's" singer stumbled through a cover of Parton's 2001 hit Marry Me, where she changed the words to "I don't give a s***" and "I don't know the lyrics to these things in this f****** town... Don't tell Dolly 'cause it's her birthday."

As she wrapped up the song, King told the audience, who seemed less than impressed, that "you ain't getting your money back." Then someone on the stage suggested she sing one of her own songs instead.

"I can barely play another person's song, let me see if I can play one of mine," King admitted.

The Opry was forced to apologize for the performance after one person complained on X, formerly Twitter.

"Elle King ruined the night with her horrible, drunk, and profane performance. Dolly Parton would've been mortified. For our first time at The Opry, it was a shame we all had to witness that," the disgruntled fan wrote.

The Opry responded: "Hi Judas, we deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night's second Opry performance."

A video of King's display was also shared to TikTok, where the person who posted it wrote: "I think Elle King just ended her career. I cant imagine disrespecting Dolly at the @Grand Ole Opry on Dollys birthday 🤦🏼‍♀️ I hope Elle gets the help she needs cause this does not pass the vibe check."

Other people commented on the video and agreed.

"Never heard of her until this video and I've already seen enough," one person wrote.

And another added: "I thought there was a rule people couldn't cuss on stage at the Opry? I could be wrong, but I always thought that was a big no-no 🤔"

Newsweek contacted King's representatives by email for comment.

@auctioneergirl

I think Elle King just ended here career. I cant imagine disrespecting Dolly at the @Grand Ole Opry on Dollys birthday 🤦🏼‍♀️ I hope Elle gets the help she needs cause this does not pass the vibe check. **This is not my video** • • • #thegrandoleopry #drunk #elleking #ellekingmusic #Tennessee #fyp #foryoupage #foryoupageofficiall #fypシ #fypシ゚viral

♬ original sound - Victoria

King, the daughter of Hollywood comedian Rob Schneider, rose to fame in 2012 and in 2015 made it in to the Billboard top 10 with "Ex's & Oh's".

In 2022, she released a country music-inspired remix of Canadian singer Dax's song Dear Alcohol, which he wrote about his own drinking habits and eventually led to his sobriety, according to HotNewHipHop.

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