Embed from Getty Images
Dolly Parton is one of those celebrities whom everyone loves. Late last year, however, you could see some a-holes on the right were testing the waters. After all, one of the things that Republicans are most bothered by is a strong, powerful, well-liked woman. Dolly, who is 77, performed at the Thanksgiving Day halftime show for the Dallas Cowboys/Washington Commanders game. She dressed up as a Cowboys cheerleader, looking incredible in a crop top and white mini shorts. Oooh, some right-wing trolls got big mad at that! The fake outrage died down fairly quickly when everyone else made it pretty clear that you do not come for Dolly Parton.
Well, in the neverending Republican culture war, if at first you don’t succeed, look deeper to create something even more heinous to make a big deal over. Last week, right-wing magazine The Federalist, which is co-founded by Meghan “Do You Know Who My Father Is” McCain’s husband, decided it was time to fire another shot at Dolly. This time, writer Ericka Andersen went after Dolly’s Christian faith and support for the LGBTQ+ community. Big mistake. HUGE. Alarms were sounded and the cavalry rode to Dolly’s defense in one collective, ”Oh no you didn’t.”
Fans of 11-time Grammy Award–winning singer Dolly Parton came to her aid this week, in response to a tacky, homophobic hit piece published by a right-wing magazine. The Federalist is a conservative outlet that has previously taken aim at Taylor Swift, accusing her of indoctrinating her listeners into man-hating feminism, a thinly veiled grievance about their inability to control the thoughts of young women. Now it’s taken aim at the Queen of Country herself, likely for much the same reason.
The newest article took issue with Parton using her Christian faith as a rationale for her acceptance of all people, including those who identify as LGBTQ+.
“Parton’s version of love, which includes condoning immoral sexual behavior, (be who you are she said), is unaligned with God’s vision for humanity,” the author wrote, going on to compare Parton to a secular leader spreading “false gospel.”
Trying to cut down such a beloved figure and awarded philanthropist is pretty ridiculous, and especially ironic for a publication that previously published an article pushing for her to be the next president of the United States.
The publication of this wildly homophobic tirade was timed to hitch a ride on the wave of attention Parton has received since announcing her new musical, Hello, I’m Dolly! Now, as one user on X declared, “they came for Dolly. we ride at dawn.”
Users warned conservatives not to hurt themselves, dying on a hill against the army of the Backwoods Barbie. “If you ever doubted that MAGA is a suicide cult, they’re coming after Dolly Parton. Kool-aid can’t be far behind,” wrote one user.
“Folks, a land war in Asia is the SECOND biggest blunder anyone can make. The first? Coming for Dolly Parton,” wrote another. A different user simply proclaimed, “No. You do not come after Dolly Parton. You absolutely do not.”
Hundreds of X users joined in a chorus of support for their beautiful, blonde, big-haired leader. At the end of the day, old homophobes can’t hold a candle to the influence of stars like Parton—no one can light up the masses like they do. And as the old Parton adage goes: “A loose tongue can lead to broken teeth.”
Imagine thinking that you could come for Dolly Parton – during Pride no less! – and believe that it would end well. Dolly espouses more of the values that Jesus Christ taught than any of these Christian nationalist wannabe authoritarians ever have. It’s hilarious that Andersen did the whole “false gospel” route because last I checked, Jesus preached to love your neighbor, treat others as you want to be treated, forgive, and reject hatred. But preaching tolerance does not win votes, apparently. And if Andersen thinks that they won’t come for her eventually, then I’ve got a face-eating leopard to sell her. (She did repent, telling Yahoo! Entertainment that she regrets “Using Dolly as the example for the point I was making.”)
Anyway, conservatives, cry more. Dolly is talented, inclusive of all fans, and has a heart of gold. Her charitable organization, Dollywood Foundation, has given millions towards children’s literacy, scholarships, hospitals, and animal rescue organizations. Meanwhile, megachurch leaders are buying private jet and big homes with church tithing. Dolly also famously donated $1 million for Covid vaccine research. Oh, and in 2020, she told The Guardian that she isn’t “that good a Christian to think that I am so good that I can judge people. That’s God’s job, not mine.” So yeah, Dolly rocks and everybody knows it.
they came for Dolly. we ride at dawn. pic.twitter.com/PMbSJYHB46
— shauna (@goldengateblond) June 7, 2024
Dolly Parton has been more Christ-like than every mega church pastor and most so-called Christians. And she does it quietly and without a big fuss. https://t.co/zWYFSV4V0v
— sheologian (@sheologian) June 7, 2024
Anyone who attacks Dolly deserves to walk barefoot on legos for the rest of their lives.
😆😆😆😆😆
Nope. Not today, Satan.
Don’t drag Satan into this mess, he’s not dumb enough to go after Dolly Parton.
I hope they do go to war on MAGA and not back down with the fake apology MAGA is giving them. MAGA will just keep trying again to find something that sticks.
Are they stupid? Okay, I mean, yes, they are.
But are they really THIS stupid? That’s like attacking puppies or coffee. This is gonna backfire so badly.
Scene: All the Jolenes dressed as their fave 9to5 characters saddling up their Harleys to ride for Dolly. Who messes w Queen Dolly
As Rosie says, Dolly is strong, powerful, & well-liked. Everything MAGAs hate. She helped fund COVID vaccines, she provides free books to children (books! learning! indoctrination! can’t have that!), she is living her life according to her principles, which were formed in a Southern Baptist context in the hollers of Tennessee. Never heard of this Andersen person, or the Federalist, but I know of Dolly.
The right-wing nuts are coming for everybody. No one is immune from attack and no one’s quality of life is improved when they are in office. Dolly is a treasure who would be a billionaire many times over if she hadn’t been so generous.
Dolly is a great human being and politics has absolutely no place in religion. This is a problem for the right wing. They try to bring politics where it doesn’t belong and coming for Dolly is a huuuge mistake.
wow. jut wow. how can they be so stupid?!
everyone loves Dolly! and Dolly loves everyone. she won’t even have to say anything about this. she loves everybody, as she has always said.. and it’s mutual! well except for the idiot who wrote this, and the editor who approved it. unbelivable. those people are in a bubble.
I got to see her performing live once, and she was amazing! she’s written iconic songs, and is iconic herself. there’s a live version of Jolene which has her speaking at the beginning of it and she talks about meeting two drag queens before the show that night and that “one of them was prettier than I’ll ever be, and the other one looked more like me than I ever will!” and then she substituted “drag queen” for “Jolene” in one of her verses. it’s from years ago.
just… wow.
I actually enjoy Dolly’s music, but I’m not as uncritical of her as most of the internet. It’s a statement on how rotten and radical the right/conservatives have become when they attack someone like Dolly Parton, who has very mild political opinions, is pretty much a fence sitter and a “don’t rock the boat” kind of person.
I remember when Susan Sarandon spoke against Trump in an award ceremony and Dolly made a nonsequitur joke and later claimed doing so because she didn’t want to alienate part of her fanbase. Like, Dolly isn’t the leftist queen people want her to be, and she doesn’t have to be. I’m just saying people have constructed this fake image of who she is. She’s very much live and let live, but in a lowkey bigoted grandma way, “hate the sin not the sinner” kind of thing.
Dolly is absolutely NOT a “hate the sin, not the sinner” type of person, and has been defending and honoring the LGBTQ+ community since the 1970s. She may try to avoid politics, but she always stands up for civil rights and equality.
The right-wing is _furious_ that neither Dolly nor Taylor will be the “blonde-helpless-woman” face of their movement. Conservatives are desperate for a female icon to defend, for nothing gets racists more ready to battle than “innocent white womanhood in peril.” It’s not enough to have their Hitler; they need a Leni Riefenstahl too. 🙄😡😡
Didn’t they have a blonde nitwit they loved and even “leftists” like Trevor Noah were fawning over her and inviting her to interviews and dinner dates? What happened to her?
She was the perfect example of the “conventionally attractive white woman that just says want we want to hear and she makes the left mad because she’s so hot lol” cliche that the far right loves.
💖