Dolly Parton Says People Tell Her To Stop Talking About Her Faith But She Won’t Listen

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If there’s one thing you can count on Dolly Parton for, it’s that she’ll say exactly what’s on her heart and not give a single rhinestone what anyone thinks.

In a world where half of country music scrubs itself squeaky clean for PR deals and radio play, Dolly’s still out here dropping truth bombs about her faith like it’s Sunday morning in a Smoky Mountain church. This week, she sat down with Khloé Kardashian on the Khloé in Wonder Land podcast and reminded everyone why she’s still the one star that even the cynics can’t help but love. Turns out, she’s been told plenty of times to zip it about God, and she’s flat-out refused.

This is the same Dolly who grew up in a one-room cabin, one of twelve kids, with a Pentecostal preacher grandpa who worried his sparkly granddaughter’s teased hair and tight skirts were gonna land her straight in hell. Instead, she’s spent a lifetime proving you can look like a country Barbie, sing about cheating and heartbreak, and still be the closest thing we’ve got to an angel in rhinestones.

Dolly says she was “saved” about fifteen times as a kid, scared to death by fire-and-brimstone altar calls that painted the world as one big devil’s playground. It took sneaking into an old abandoned church near her home to find the real peace she’d been craving. Imagine this tiny blonde teenager kneeling on the creaky floorboards of a run-down shack, graffiti on the walls, Bible verses fading under beer stains, and praying her heart out to a God she hoped was listening. And that was it, that was Dolly’s real salvation, far away from the pulpit, no preacher telling her she was doomed if she didn’t get it right.

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She told Khloé she doesn’t care one bit when people tell her she should hush about her faith. “Even if I knew there was no God, I’d choose to believe it,” she said. That’s classic Dolly. Even if the world’s burning, she’d be up there on stage, smiling under her big wig, singing gospel songs with a band full of sinners. And she’d tell you that loving something bigger than yourself is the best insurance policy you’ll ever have.

It’s not lost on her that her honesty makes some folks squirm. She’s been in the game long enough to know the shiny side of Hollywood doesn’t always want to hear about old-time religion. But that’s never stopped her before, and it sure won’t now. “If God can shine through me, I ask him to all the time,” she said. She wants her life to be a neon sign pointing back to what she calls the greatest energy there is. Call it science, call it the universe, call it Jesus, Dolly doesn’t care. Just believe in something that keeps you kind.

Music, books and more

Shop Dolly Parton

• Behind the Seams: My Life in RhinestonesBook · 2023The stories behind her stage outfits, written with Holly George-WarrenSee it on Amazon →
• Dolly Parton’s Favorite Yellow Cake MixBaking · Duncan HinesFrom her Duncan Hines baking lineSee it on Amazon →
• JoleneVinylWith “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You”See it on Amazon →

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There’s a reason fans, from church grandmas to drag queens, keep coming back to Dolly decade after decade. She doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t preach at you from a soapbox. She just stands there in her bedazzled boots and lets you know you can be exactly who you are, as broken or shiny as you want, and still have faith that something good is waiting on the other side of it all.

So next time you hear “Jolene” or see Dolly show up with a check for the kids in her Imagination Library, remember she’s still saying that same prayer. That she’ll be a light. That she’ll do some good. And if you’ve got a problem with that? Well, you’re wasting your breath. Because Dolly Parton’s not stopping for anyone. And that’s about as country as it gets.