Elvis Presley Fans Deeply Divided Over Graceland’s Controversial New Displays originally appeared on Parade.
As Elvis Week progresses at Graceland, fans are deeply divided over two new displays located at Elvis Presley’s Memphis, Tennessee home.
Presley’s historic home has recently opened two exhibits: Graceland in Red, which recreates Elvis’s French Provençal-style living room from 1974, and Colonel Parker’s World of Show Business, which offers a look at Elvis’s manager’s life.
Both of these exhibits are located across the street from Graceland at Elvis Presley’s Memphis. The entertainment and exhibit complex is over 200,000 square feet large and contains some of the King of Rock and Roll’s rarest and most beloved artifacts.
On the official Elvis Instagram page, images from both exhibits were featured. The displays are meant to give a fuller perspective on Presley’s life, from how he lived to exploring the lives of those closest to him.
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However, fans are deeply divided over these new exhibits. The first display takes fans back into the early 1970s when Graceland was decorated with red furniture, rugs, and accessories. This furniture was in place when the king died at home in 1977.
The home’s interior remains the same as it has been since Graceland first opened its doors in June 1982. A reconstruction of the interior of Graceland’s red living room is contained within its own display.
The second display honors the man Elvis trusted to make him a star. Parker remains a deeply polarizing figure in the entertainer’s rise, and this exhibit gives fans a closer look at his life before and during his reign as the king’s manager.
Fans shared their remarks in the post’s comments section. Their division was clear.
“It’s nice to see the furnishings that Elvis picked out instead of the ones Priscilla [Presley] had when she lived there,” wrote one follower. “Glad to see how it was, although too much is too much!” a second declared. “You all should’ve never let Priscilla change the interior away from this look. Should’ve left it how he left it,” penned a third fan of the decor.
Other fans believed it was right for Parker to have his own exhibit to honor his place in the entertainer’s history. Others believed the opposite.
“I know I’m going to be in the minority, but I don’t care. I don’t think there should be a special section dedicated to Tom Parker. Yes, he should have recognition for getting him big recording deals and concerts, but later on, he was a terrible manager and hurt Elvis more than he helped him!” penned a third Instagram user.
A fourth fan wrote of Parker, “I think we all have ambivalent feelings about him, but he’s been a part of Elvis’ story and career. He was his manager, for better or worse, for over 20 years. I think [Graceland] simply wanted to gather documents and objects related to him in a single exhibition, telling his story.”
Both Colonel Parker’s World of Show Business and Graceland in Red will be exhibited for at least one year at Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Elvis Week concludes on August 16, the 48th anniversary of the King of Rock and Roll’s death.
Elvis Presley Fans Deeply Divided Over Graceland’s Controversial New Displays first appeared on Parade on Aug 13, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.