Dolly Parton isn't afraid to make it known where she stands when it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement! As Entertainment Tonight shares, Parton opened up about the topic when she was interviewed by Billboard as part of the magazine's "Country Power Players 2020" issue, and she was pretty outspoken.
Parton shows her support: "of course, Black lives matter"
Parton said that she gets why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important. "I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen," she said of the movement.
"And of course, Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!" The country music legend also talked about how she herself has taken action when realizing her actions pose a "problem" because of coming off as ignorant.
Parton shares why she chose to rename Dollywood ride
Parton went on to explain her decision to rename one of the rides at her Tennessee theme park, Dollywood. "There’s such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that," she told Billboard. "When they said 'Dixie' was an offensive word, I thought, 'Well, I don’t want to offend anybody. This is a business. We’ll just call it The Stampede.'"
"As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it," Parton continued. "Don’t be a dumbass. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose." She also revealed that Dollywood has been economically impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The stars said goodbye to Kenny Rogers...
Dolly Parton Honours Kenny Rogers With Performance Of "Sweet Music Man" - Watch Here
Parton "still hoping" things will work out in the future
Parton shared that even though the year hasn't gone as planned for the theme park, she's hopeful they'll be able to recover next year. "We certainly are not going to have a great year this year," she said of Dollywood, which annually sees more than 3 million visitors. "Hopefully by coming back, we’ll pick up some stuff that we’ve lost."
Parton told Billboard that having a side venture like Dollywood represents "something to fall back on if things don’t work out the way they’d hoped" for struggling artists. However, she's still optimistic about the future! "All of the things that I’m involved in are on hold, even my production companies and the movies -- everything [took] a big hit," Parton said. "But I still believe, still trust God, and I’m still hoping for the best."
Parton to release new Christmas album in October
Parton may have had several of her future projects delayed, but she's got a few exciting things coming out this year! As Entertainment Tonight mentions, Parton is set to release her upcoming Christmas album A Holly Dolly Christmas on October 2.
The album will feature duets with Canadian crooner Michael Bublé, and Parton's goddaughter, Miley Cyrus! Parton's new holiday movie Christmas on the Square will also be released this year, accompanying her festive album.
Fans are freaking out!
Shocking! Dolly Parton Was Secretly A Producer On 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'!
Parton talks not giving classic song to Elvis Presley
Parton also talked about not allowing Elvis Presley to record a version of her song, "I Will Always Love You"! "That was one of the hardest things I ever had to do because I loved Elvis,” she admitted."Even though my daddy didn’t get an education, my daddy was really smart in making deals and bargaining and how he raised a family like he did."
As Entertainment Tonight explains, Presley's manager had pushed to get half of the song's publishing. "That was my most important copyright at the time. If it had been a new song, I might have considered it," Parton shared. "He would have sung it great. Can you imagine Elvis singing 'I Will Always Love You?'"
With Parton's support of the Black Lives Matter movement, it makes sense that her fans have petitioned for statues of the singer to replace Confederate monuments in Tennessee! Parton has also released a new song about the coronavirus pandemic, called "When Life Is Good Again."
She covered Hugh Hefner's magazine in the late 1970's!
Dolly Parton Wants To Be On The Cover Of 'Playboy' Magazine... Again!
