Dolly Parton Asks Tennessee to Hold Off on Her Statue

“Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time."

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Amid the biggest public health crisis in a century, catastrophic winter weather across Texas and the Southeast, and the general scourge of an often feckless government, Dolly Parton has emerged as one of the only figures who consistently makes any sense. On Thursday, Parton asked the Tennessee legislature to reconsider their efforts to install a sculpture of the icon on the state Capitol grounds, citing the need for public officials to focus their energy on the real problems of the day. She issued a statement on Twitter urging the legislature to heed her request.

“I want to thank the Tennessee legislature for their consideration of a bill to erect a statue of me on the Capitol grounds. I am honored and humbled by their intention but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration.”

The country star continued, “Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time. I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I’m certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean.”

It’s not the first time Parton has displayed sound judgement recently. Earlier this month, the singer explained that she wouldn’t get the COVID-19 vaccine until it was her turn because she doesn’t want to “jump the line,” even though she donated $1 million to vaccine research.

Last August, Parton expressed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement in an interview with Billboard, addressing the protest movement that occurred in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. “Of course, Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No,” Parton said.

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Zoe Guy
Zoe Guy

Zoe Guy is the digital fellow at Marie Claire, where she covers pop culture, hot celebrity gossip, movies and TV. She’s obsessed with Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of The Age of Innocence, anything written by Jesmyn Ward and stan Twitter.