Never one to hold back what she thinks, Dolly Parton's younger sister Stella took to Twitter on Monday (Jan. 22) to address the recent controversy surrounding Elle King.
On Friday night (Jan. 19), the Grand Ole Opry celebrated Dolly's 78th birthday with a stacked bill. Among the performers was Elle King, whose behavior while admittedly "f**king hammered" caused online criticism from ticket buyers that led to an apology by the Opry.
"Since we're comparing apples to oranges on here. I'm still stewing and thinking bout how any lil spoiled brat with an opportunity to sing on the Opry to pay tribute to a legendary songwriter like Dolly Parton would just piss on the star circle on the stage," Stella wrote, adding that "Taylor Swift wouldn't."
Clips from Friday night show King flubbing the lyrics to Parton's "Marry Me," substituting such lines as "I don't give a shi*t" and "I don't know the lyrics to these things in this f**king town... Don't tell Dolly 'cause it's her birthday."
Afterwards, King bantered with her dissatisfied audience, saying "You bought tickets to this s**t. You ain't getting your money back" and admitting to being "f**king hammered."
Stella is no stranger to the country music scene. With her own 40-plus years of experience, she has created her own path as a country singer and had some successful singles in the '70s. Most notably, 1975's "I Want to Hold You in My Dreams Tonight" was a Top 10 hit.
An experienced author and actor as well, Stella told People in 2022 that she always has "two or three projects on the cooker, in the slow-cooker." At the time of the interview, Stella was promoting a film she stars in, Nothing is Impossible.
Dolly and Stella are among the 12 children of Avie Lee and Robert Lee Parton.