Hollywood’s Biggest Stars and Their Adorable Pups Join Dolly Parton at ‘Pet Gala’ (VIDEO)
The fun-filled CBS special airs February 21 at 9 p.m. ET!
The Met Gala may be known for A-list celebrities and high fashion, but when it comes to Dolly Parton, great music, cute pups and sheer fun, nothing beats Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala, a two-hour variety show airing at 9 p.m. ET, Feb. 21 on CBS. It will also stream the day after on Paramount+.
The joy-filled TV special features special guests and their beloved pets, including Drew Barrymore, Dave Mustaine, Carson Kessley, Margaret Cho, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Simpson, Kristin Bell, Jim Nantz and others. There will also be lots of music, including Parton classics “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” from the country icon and stars Lainey Wilson, Carly Pearce, Chris Janson and KC of KC of the Sunshine Band.
There will also be a doggy fashion show sporting recreations of Parton’s most iconic ensembles from Dolly’s Doggy Parton pet line. “We had a whole lot of help putting this show together,” Dolly Parton told Woman’s World on the Pet Gala pink carpet. “Everybody loves animals and I’m no different. I think right now we need something bubbly and fun. All you see is just all the bad stuff, so we thought we’d bring some good stuff.”
“And they are the cutest things ever,” Dolly smiled. “They are all gussied up and they are out rhinestone-ing me I think.”
Jane Lynch co-hosts the Dolly Parton Pet Gala
Actress Jane Lynch co-hosted the event and provided commentary when the dogs hit the stage strutting their stuff. “Dolly invited me to come and although I had met her about 30 years ago, I don’t believe she would remember that,” Lynch told Woman’s World.
“I did a small part in a movie called Straight Talk, so I remember meeting her…She invited me to co-host so what I’m doing actually is narrating,” Lynch explains. “We have five runway events and I’m narrating the looks on all of the dogs.”
Lynch enjoyed seeing the fashionable pups. “They are all having a really good time,” she said. “They really behave themselves and I think it’s because they are happy dogs. They are very happy to be here, and they look adorable in their little outfits. They get to play dress up and who doesn’t love that even if you are a dog?”
“We rescue older dogs, my wife and I and we have one now,” Lynch said. “We usually have up to four, but this one we have now is very timid and shy and actually she’s just really turned the corner in the last few months. She’s very happy and trusts us, so we’re really thrilled that she’s a very happy dog. Her name is Mildred.”
Animal lover and actor Iain Armitage joined the fun
Young Sheldon star Iain Armitage wasn’t clear on how he got there, but was overjoyed to be participating. “It’s so funny I actually have no idea,” he said when asked how he got involved. “I was just told that there was going to be Dolly Parton and a bunch of incredible puppies and I was already on the plane.”
The 15-year-old actor, who plays Sheldon Cooper on the hit TV series, is an ardent animal lover. “I had a dog named Coal and he lived to be 14. He was a black lab and super talented. He was very smart and knew a lot of tricks and he lived a long time for a black Lab. We were so sad when he passed, but right now I have a hamster named Oscar Levant and unfortunately, like his namesake, he can’t play piano,” he says of naming his hamster after Levant, the subject of Good Night Oscar, a play written by Doug Wright.
Chris Janson’s pup joins him to perform at the Dolly Parton Pet Gala
Country star Chris Janson and his lovely wife Kelly walked the carpet with their hound dog Willie, who sweetly offered his paw to reporters to shake. “Dolly asked and I said yes, it’s just that simple,” Janson told WW of how he got involved.
“Who doesn’t love Dolly Parton? She’s the best and the nicest and coolest and the biggest star in the world, so I’m very honored that she would include me.”
Janson introduces an infectious new song and performs Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog,” accompanied by his dog Willie on stage. He also joins Dolly and other guests to sing her legendary hit, “Jolene.”
“We were up on stage earlier rehearsing together and she looked at me and said, ‘Well you’re a boy but I guess you can sing a girl’s song.’ And I said, ‘You’re damn right I can,’” Janson said with big grin. “She’s so awesome and I’m just really proud to be here.”
Janson was happy to have two-year-old pup Willie accompanying him to the event. “I’m just really impressed with how he has acted honestly,” Janson said. “He’s probably a little shell shocked with all the other little dogs around. It’s been good for him. It’s fun. All the dogs are playing.”
“He’s been a great dog. He literally is a blood hound and born to hunt. We hunt together and track together,” Janson smiles. “He’s an indoor/outdoor dog, so he’s in the house, out of the house and kind of runs his own little world at our place.”
Kelly Osbourne’s fangirl moment
Kelly Osbourne and Rachel Smith serve as runway correspondents on the show. “I got a call from my publicist Marcel, who works with Dolly, asking me if I would like to be a part of the dog gala and before he even finished the sentence I was like screaming around my bedroom,” Kelly Osbourne told WW on the pink carpet.
“Dolly Parton has asked me to go to Nashville and be a part of the Dog Gala! I’m like, ‘What more do you want in life than getting a day with Dolly Parton and a million dogs that you get to watch go down a runway in amazing costumes?’ And Jane Lynch! It’s incredible!”
Osbourne was all smiles as she talked about how excited she was to get to know Parton better at the event. “I do know her a little bit. She knows my parents better. My heart is beating so fast now. I just got to spend some time with her backstage and she took the most incredible picture with my baby. My eyes filled up with tears, it was like a magical moment,” she says of introducing Dolly to her 14-month-old son Sidney.
Musicians and their doggies hit the pink carpet
Seventeen-year-old guitar virtuoso Grace Bowers walked the carpet with her labradoodle George, named for George Harrison. “We’re going to be playing Jolene and we’re going to have everyone up on stage and probably some dogs on stage too,” said Bowers, who was set to go in the studio this week with John Osborne of Brothers Osborne to record a new album.
Country singer Carly Pearce walked the pink carpet with her two dogs Johnny and June, named for the late Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash. “I’ve loved Dolly my whole life,” she told WW.
Related: New June Carter Cash Documentary Brings the Icon Out of Johnny Cash’s Shadow
“When I was 15 or 16, I saw an audition to sing in a country show at Dollywood and I thought that was way cooler than being a sophomore in high school, so I quit and I worked at Dollywood.”
She continued, “I always joke that I went to the school of Dolly and she has just been such a big part of my artistry. She asked me to the be the newest member of the Opry in 2021 and now to get to sing with her is such an honor. I feel really, really excited to be here.”
Emily Ann Roberts gets puppy fever
Newcomer Emily Ann Roberts took time to participate in the Pet Gala before hitting the road with Blake Shelton to open on his tour. “It’s such a full circle moment because I was on The Voice with him back in 2015 and now this is my first ever arena tour opening up and supporting somebody out on the road. I couldn’t have planned it any better than my first time going out would be with Blake, so it means the world.”
Roberts enjoyed her time at the Dolly Parton Pet Gala and admits the evening made her want to get a dog. “The puppies are dressed up like Dolly, like rockstars. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s so fun,” she smiled. “I don’t even know how they made these costumes. They’ve got Dolly wigs on. They are dolled up and ready to go. I don’t have a dog right now. We’re on the road too much, so I haven’t been able to have a puppy for a while, but I’m going to have puppy fever after tonight and I’m going to want me one for sure.”
Don’t miss the Dolly Parton Pet Gala airing at 9 p.m. ET, Feb. 21 on CBS. It will also stream the day after on Paramount+.
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