Reports have come out that country singer Elle King gave a pretty off-key performance at a concert celebrating Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday. TMZ first shared that Elle allegedly appeared to be under the influence while performing at the show at the Grand Ole Opry.
TMZ also reported that Elle admitted to having had “one too many” before stepping onto the stage. According to the online outlet, Elle was caught on multiple videos “botching” her rendition of Dolly’s song “Marry Me.” Elle allegedly appeared to have forgotten some of the lyrics to the tune before unleashing a string of curse words. Some of the footage of Elle’s performance was later uploaded to TikTok by user @auctioneergirl.
In the clip, Elle can be seen standing at a microphone as she sings, only for her voice to start cracking as she forgets the words. Elle is then filmed admitting that she didn’t know the words before pleading with the crowd not to tell Dolly.
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TMZ reported that at one point, Elle also mocked the audience for buying tickets to the show. In the clip, she explained in an expletive-laden rant, “I’m not even gonna lie. Y’all bought tickets for this. You ain’t getting your money back.”One fan shouted back, “I don’t want it,” before Elle replied, “Good, ’cause you ain’t getting it.” She then added, “I’ll tell you one more thing. Hi, my name is Elle King. I’m hammered.”
One of Elle’s bandmates reportedly suggested that they play one of her own songs. The 34-year-old singer and daughter of Rob Schneider responded, saying, “I can barely play another person’s song. Let me see if I can play one of mine.”
Elle Has Received Backlash on Social Media
Following the concert, one fan who attended complained about Elle on X, formerly known as Twitter. They wrote that Elle “ruined the night with her horrible, drunk, and profane performance.” The fan added that “Parton would have been mortified.” TMZ reported that Elle has not yet commented on the backlash to her performance.
However, others have reportedly had their say. The Daily Mail reported that the Grand Ole Opry, where the concert was held, has spoken out on the controversy. According to the outlet, the venue released a statement in which they said, “We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance.”
The apology was attached to the tweet from the unhappy fan.
The fan had mentioned the venue in her tweet, writing, “For our first time at the Opry, it was a shame we all had to witness that.” They continued, “It was such a disappointment to spend $300 on tickets for a show where one of the artists ruined an entire night.”
Another person who commented on Elle’s performance was Dolly’s sister Stella. The Daily Mail reported that Stella had defended Elle on one point. She posted on X that she “didn’t see or hear” the concert but wrote, “Some lil girl by the name of Elle King apparently cussed and insulted some of Dolly’s fans.” She went on to defend Elle on one point, writing, “I guess it’s ok if you’re male.” However, she also branded Elle as a “hillbilly.”
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Dolly has so far said nothing about Elle’s appearance at her tribute concert.
