“I’d taken one shot too many”: Elle King after drunken performance at Dolly Parton tribute

Elle King is explaining herself for her drunken performance at Dolly Parton's tribute last year. King's infamous performance at the Grand Ole Opry went viral at the time, where she was seen slurring her words and cursing at the crowd. However, during her recent appearance on the Dumb Blonde podcast, she explained herself.

Elle King began by saying:

"I played two shows that day. I played two f**king shows. The first show was great. It was perfect... But I hadn't eaten … I hadn't slept in days. Had such bad anxiety."

She continued to elaborate:

"I'd taken one shot too many... a bunch of people were celebrating... I took one shot of tequila when I had been drinking a martini... Boom, I come to and like, the curtain’s down, and it sucks. It's awful."

In addition to this, she also mentioned that she was:

"...the tiniest I'd ever been."

How did Dolly Parton react to Elle King's drunken performance on her 78th birthday?

Elle King also shared with the public how she felt after the slurred performance on stage. She explained that it was a horrible feeling that she never wants to experience again.

She said:

"I never want to cry like that in a car ride home. I never want to wake up feeling like that ever again. I never want to feel that shame."

King also revealed that Dolly Parton called her after the performance. She elaborated:

"Anytime Dolly Parton calls you is cool … but I didn't want it to be under those circumstances... She called me to make me feel better."

She also called Parton an angel, or in her words:

"proof of angels."

Dolly Parton also spoke publicly about King's performance aside from the private call she had with the singer. The Jolene singer told Extra:

"Elle is really a great artist... She’s a great girl, and she’s been going through a lot of hard things lately... She just had a little too much to drink, so let’s just forgive that and forget it and move on, 'cause she felt worse than anyone ever could."

Elle King also shared that she is not banned from the Opry after her 2024 performance, and added:

"I learned so much from this experience. And like, if I can come out of it, literally anyone can... And I've had so many experiences like that. I hope I have less of them in the future … like, come on, like my book of lessons is getting kind of full," she joked towards the end.

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Elle King's explanation sheds light on what she was going through before her performance at the Grand Ole Opry. She felt remorseful about her actions and was able to move forward from the incident, with Parton's compassion and understanding.

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