Dolly Parton set a goal for her 75th birthday (Jan. 19, 2021): a return to the cover of Playboy Magazine. A little over six months later, she delivered an altered version of her promise for her husband Carl Dean's birthday (and for #HotGirlSummer).
"Remember sometime back I said I was going to pose on the Playboy magazine when I was 75? Well I'm 75 and they don't have a magazine anymore," Parton says in the video below.
It’s always #HotGirlSummer for my husband, Carl ? Happy birthday my love! pic.twitter.com/utz7Atpk3F
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) July 20, 2021
Parton dusted off her bunny outfit for a special someone who's somehow dodged the public eye despite being married for over half a century to one of the most beloved and visible celebrities on Earth.
He still thinks I'm a hot chick after 57 years and I'm not going to try and talk him out of that," Parton adds. "And I hope he agrees. What do you think?"
Read More: Dolly Parton, Carol Burnett Sing and Trade Jokes During '70s TV Special at the Grand Ole Opry
In a 2020 interview on the Scott Mills & Chris Stark Show on BBC Radio 5, Parton said she'd been in talks with the magazine.
"I just might do it. If I can do it in good taste and they [Playboy] want it, we'll do it along with a really good interview inside," Parton said. "So, yeah, it's possible. Yep, we've talked about it."
Parton first expressed interest in a return to the magazine's cover earlier in 2020.
"I don't plan to retire. I just turned 74 and I plan to be on the cover of Playboy Magazine again," Parton told 60 Minutes Australia. "See, I did Playboy Magazine years ago, and I thought it'd be such a hoot if they'll go for it — I don't know if they will — if I could be on the cover again when I'm 75."
“Well, I don't plan to retire. I just turned 74!“ With her signature charm and unique voice, it’s so easy to see why fans will always love @DollyParton #60Mins pic.twitter.com/RlPme7tumJ
— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) March 8, 2020
See Parton's full interview on 60 Minutes Australia below.
In November 2020, a representative of Playboy told TMZ that the door's open for Parton if she's still interested in a cover shoot.
Parton became the first country singer to become a Playboy cover model in October 1978. The cover photo shoot promoted an in-depth article on her career, not that month's centerfold.
"I have been asked, back in the day, but that was so totally not me," she says on nudity, as shared on her website. "I would never do that... But that was a good article they ran in there, and it was just a fun thing to do. That was just another way I was trying to market myself, at that time, to kinda get in the mainstream..."
When asked if she'd wear the same outfit, Parton employed her signature charm, saying she likely could use it because "boobs are still the same."
If Parton graces the cover of Playboy at age 75, she'll be the second oldest woman to pose for the lifestyle magazine. Last December, 77-year-old Victoria Valentino was among the playmates returning for an Equality Issue photoshoot.
Dolly Parton in the '70s
Singer Dolly Parton spreads her white shawl and offers a greeting upon her arrival at Heathroow Airport in London, April 16, 1977. Miss Parton is in Eangland to attend the eighth International Festival of Country Music at Wembley. (AP Photo/PA)
AP Photo/John Glanvill
Les Paul, right, and Chet Atkins, left, are presented Grammies by Dolly Parton and Freddie Fender, second from right, at 19th annual Grammy Awards, Feb. 19, 1977 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/George Brich)
"I've had about all the nips and tucks I can have," Parton added about maintaining her iconic look. "The good part with me though, I have my own look. I look kind of cartoonish and cartoons don't really age that much."
Parton added, "Even when I'm 90, I'll still probably look about the same way. Just thicker make-up and bigger hair."
This article was originally published in 2020. It was updated on July 21, 2021.
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