Dolly Parton’s Greatest Responses Over the Years—Barbara Walters Interview, Elvis’ Manager and More!
With humor, confidence and quick wit, the country legend proved she was never one to be underestimated
Key Takeaways
- Dolly always had a witty and classy response to those who questioned her.
- She refused to give publishing rights to her hit song, keeping royalties from future hits.
- Dolly cultivated signature style and safeguarded her business for reputation.
Over the decades, Dolly Parton has acquired a number of nicknames, from America’s Sweetheart and the Queen of Country to the Book Lady and the Iron Butterfly. But while the legend has been known in so many ways, the one thing she has always been is the epitome of class and grace, especially when she was standing up for herself and her character.
Despite the world’s love for Dolly Parton and her music, there were several times throughout her career where her style and looks were brought into question. While she could have avoided the topics or dismissed them as subjects people in polite society simply didn’t talk about, Parton always had a graceful and dignified response. Take a look back at the viral moment during her 1978 Barbara Walters interview when she maintained her class while fending off would-be critics.
Barbara Walters interview: 1978
Barbara Walters made her reputation by asking questions other interviewers might hesitate to pose. Whether sitting across from presidents, movie stars or cultural icons, she was known for pushing past carefully constructed public images in search of something more revealing.
That approach was on full display when Walters interviewed Dolly Parton in 1977. Her questions touched on Parton’s appearance, her upbringing and the way others perceived her—subjects that could easily have put the singer on the defensive. Instead, Parton met Walters question for question, responding with a combination of humor, confidence and candor that demonstrated just how comfortable she already was with exactly who she was.
When Barbara Walters asked “Would I have called you a hillbilly,” Parton responded unforgettably, “It would’ve been very natural, but I probably would’ve kicked your shins or something.”
Walters eventually confronted Parton with an even more pointed question: “Do you ever feel that you’re a joke or that people make fun of you?” Once again, Parton didn’t become defensive. Instead, she answered with the confidence and self-awareness that had characterized the entire conversation:
“I know they make fun of me, but actually all these years the people have thought the joke was on me, it’s actually been on the public. I know exactly what I’m doing and I can change it at any time or I make more jokes about myself than anybody because I am sure of myself as a person. I’m sure of my talent and I’m sure of my love for life… I’m very content.”
Dolly refuses Elvis’ manager
Interviews weren’t the only situations where Parton was able to hold her own. When it came to business decisions, the country singer knew exactly what she was doing and never doubted herself.
In 1974, she released her song, “I Will Always Love You,” which shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and No. 53 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Not long after, the King of Rock n’ Roll, Elvis Presley, was interested in recording her lyrics. The thought thrilled Parton and she was all ready to hear his version of the song, but then things changed.
The night before they recorded, Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker, asked for half of Parton’s publishing rights to the song, which was something she couldn’t get on board with.
“I said, ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t give you the publishing.’ I wanted to hear Elvis sing it, and it broke my heart—I cried all night,” Parton said. “But I had to keep that copyright in my pocket. You have to take care of your business! Everybody’s going to use you if they can. These are my songs—they’re like my children. And I expect them to support me when I’m old!”
As it turns out, Parton had made a wise decision because in 1992, Whitney Houston recorded her version of the song. Thanks to Parton’s not giving away her publishing rights, she earned more than $10 million in royalties during the 1990s.
Her personal style
Parton has long understood that her larger-than-life appearance invites attention—and she’s usually been the first to make the joke. One of her most famous lines about her signature look is, “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.”
Rather than apologize for her towering blonde hair, elaborate outfits and glamorous makeup, she embraced them as part of the image she deliberately created. The joke worked because she was in on it, poking fun at herself before anyone else had the opportunity.
The blonde jokes
Parton took a similar approach to the “dumb blonde” jokes that followed her throughout her career. Rather than allowing them to bother her, she turned the stereotype into another opportunity for a punchline.
“I’m not offended by all of the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb…and I also know that I’m not blonde,” she famously quipped.
It’s an attitude that helps explain why even Walters’ pointed questions failed to rattle her. Parton understood how people perceived her, but she also understood the difference between the image she presented to the world and the woman who had created it.
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