Barbara Walters Made 'Inappropriate' Remarks About Dolly Parton, She Answered, 'Probably Kicked...'
Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80. Amid this, Barbara Walters' past comments from a 1977 interview drew renewed attention, prompting further discussion.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleCountry music legend Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80. While it was not revealed initially, following her death, Dolly's team shared that she had a brief battle with cancer. Dolly Parton's death sparked grief, and her fans, followers, and close ones have been revisiting her old interviews while being stuck to the glamorous legacy that she left behind.
Following her passing, Barbara Walters faced renewed flak after one of her interviews with the singer resurfaced. Dolly's fans now tagged Barbara's comments as 'inappropriate' as the old interview resurfaced. However, the way Dolly maintained her grace while replying to Barbara's comments was something that's being praised by social media users. So, here's what Barbara said to Dolly and how she replied to the same. To add, Barbara Walters passed away back in 2022, while Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, after her 4-day-long hospitalization since August 21, 2026.
Barbara Walters' old comments about Dolly Parton surfaced, sparking renewed conversation
Dolly Parton was the fourth child among her 11 siblings and came from a family that had little wealth. From there, Dolly's hard work led her to achieve global stardom. The country music legend never cut ties with her background; rather, she often celebrated it through her art. It was in 1977, when she was in the early phase of her career, that Dolly sat for an interview with Barbara Walters for ABC.
During the same, Dolly was questioned by Barbara about her upbringing, background and even appearance. However, she didn't lose her calm and replied graciously. Barbara asked Dolly about the label, 'hillbilly', questioning, "Dolly, where I come from, would I have called you a hillbilly?” By this, Barbara referred to Dolly's roots. To this, Dolly replied:
"If you had have, it would have been something very natural, but I would have probably kicked your shins or something."
When Walters pressed further, Dolly calmly spoke about the class 'her people' had in them and their common sense and other skills, for which the singer felt proud. Barbara quipped that Dolly was living in 'imagination', and the latter shared her story, linking it to a fairy tale, something that she was always impressed by. She revealed that there was a 'fairy princess' (Dolly) who dreamt big and worked hard, and one day it all came true, leading to her 'happily ever after.'
Barbara Walters commented on Dolly Parton's appearances
Not only that, but Barbara Walters also made some comments about Dolly Parton's appearance. She gestured towards Dolly's chest and asked her if she always looked like that. Walters also mentioned, "You're very beautiful. You don't have to wear the blonde wigs, you don't have to wear the extreme clothes", and also asked the country music legend to show her curves to the camera. To this, Dolly mentioned that her fashion choice was strictly for 'work' and that it was an attempt not to follow conventional fashion.
Dolly also shared that it's her inner self that was real, and thus that's the only thing to be counted. Her fashion was a conscious business and creative decision. When Walters further asked Dolly if she thought people took her as a 'joke', the gorgeous singer said she's the one who makes jokes about herself more than anyone else. The late singer said she was able to crack jokes on herself as she was extremely sure of herself. To quote Dolly:
"I know exactly what I'm doing, and I can change it at any time. I make more jokes about myself than anybody because I'm sure of myself as a person. I am sure of my talent, and I'm sure of my love for life. I'm very content. I like the kind of person that I am."
Following Dolly Parton's demise, the old interview started resurfacing, and while people have been commenting on the 'inappropriate' remarks Barbara Walters made about the singer, the latter's way of taking control of the uncomfortable exchange has also been praised.
What do you think about Barbara Walters' comments on Dolly Parton?
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