Elle King, the country singer who made headlines for her disastrous performance at Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday tribute show, has finally spoken out about the incident.
In an Instagram post made on Sunday, she addressed the backlash she received for appearing drunk on stage, forgetting the lyrics, and cursing at the audience during the Grand Ole Opry event in January.
King thanked her fans for their love and support in a video where she is seen running, while also acknowledging the hate messages she received.
“To everyone sending me love because I’m human and already talked to Dolly [nail polish emoji] I love you. To everyone who told me to k*ll myself I love you too.”
She also captioned the post, writing, “Oh no was my human showing🫶❤️🫂 #WWDD”.
Dolly Parton had previously urged fans and the media to forgive and forget King’s mistake, saying,
” [King] just had too much to drink, so let’s just forgive that and forget it and move on ’cause she felt worse than anybody ever could.”
Elle King’s performance at the tribute show had received a lot of backlash from many who felt she had disrespected Parton and the Opry. Her Instagram post is the first time she has publicly addressed the incident, which has been one of the most controversial moments in her career.