Elle King Breaks Her Silence After Drunken Dolly Parton Tribute Performance: 'I'm Human'

Mar. 15, 2025

Elle King.Photo:Kevin Mazur/Getty for ACMElle Kingis focusing on herself after she received backlash whenshe performed drunk at a tribute concertforDolly Parton’s birthday earlier this year.Back in January, King, 34, was one of multiple country stars who took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, to celebrate Parton’s 78th birthday. There, she gave a controversial performance that included “about 15” expletives, according to oneTikTokfrom an audience member. King also slurred some of her words while on stage, forgot the lyrics to Parton’s “Marry Me” and admitted to being “hammered.”Now, on Instagram Sunday, the “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer addressed the incident as she shared avideoof herself 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?”In the days that followed the Parton tribute concert,King postponed several concertsand 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!“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Parton, 78, later weighed in on the incident and came to King’s defense in an interview withExtraas 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.“lle King performs during the Extra Innings Festival at Tempe Beach & Arts Park on March 1, 2024 in Tempe, Arizona.John Medina/GettyEarlier this month,King returned to the stage for the first timesince the Jan. 22 incident at the Extra Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona.She later went on to perform at a string of shows, with her most recent performance in Glasgow on Saturday. On her Instagram Story, King said the Scotland tour stop was “a dream!”“Best night. Best place,” she wrote over a video she reposted of her on stage.

Elle King.Photo:Kevin Mazur/Getty for ACM

Kevin Mazur/Getty for ACM

Elle Kingis focusing on herself after she received backlash whenshe performed drunk at a tribute concertforDolly Parton’s birthday earlier this year.Back in January, King, 34, was one of multiple country stars who took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, to celebrate Parton’s 78th birthday. There, she gave a controversial performance that included “about 15” expletives, according to oneTikTokfrom an audience member. King also slurred some of her words while on stage, forgot the lyrics to Parton’s “Marry Me” and admitted to being “hammered.”Now, on Instagram Sunday, the “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer addressed the incident as she shared avideoof herself 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?”In the days that followed the Parton tribute concert,King postponed several concertsand 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!“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Parton, 78, later weighed in on the incident and came to King’s defense in an interview withExtraas 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.“lle King performs during the Extra Innings Festival at Tempe Beach & Arts Park on March 1, 2024 in Tempe, Arizona.John Medina/GettyEarlier this month,King returned to the stage for the first timesince the Jan. 22 incident at the Extra Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona.She later went on to perform at a string of shows, with her most recent performance in Glasgow on Saturday. On her Instagram Story, King said the Scotland tour stop was “a dream!”“Best night. Best place,” she wrote over a video she reposted of her on stage.

Elle Kingis focusing on herself after she received backlash whenshe performed drunk at a tribute concertforDolly Parton’s birthday earlier this year.

Back in January, King, 34, was one of multiple country stars who took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, to celebrate Parton’s 78th birthday. There, she gave a controversial performance that included “about 15” expletives, according to oneTikTokfrom an audience member. King also slurred some of her words while on stage, forgot the lyrics to Parton’s “Marry Me” and admitted to being “hammered.”

Now, on Instagram Sunday, the “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer addressed the incident as she shared avideoof herself 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?”

In the days that followed the Parton tribute concert,King postponed several concertsand 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!”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Parton, 78, later weighed in on the incident and came to King’s defense in an interview withExtraas 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.”

lle King performs during the Extra Innings Festival at Tempe Beach & Arts Park on March 1, 2024 in Tempe, Arizona.John Medina/Getty

John Medina/Getty

Earlier this month,King returned to the stage for the first timesince the Jan. 22 incident at the Extra Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona.

She later went on to perform at a string of shows, with her most recent performance in Glasgow on Saturday. On her Instagram Story, King said the Scotland tour stop was “a dream!”

“Best night. Best place,” she wrote over a video she reposted of her on stage.

source: people.com