Singer Says Her Drunken Dolly Parton Tribute Was the Moment She Hit ‘Rock Bottom’ originally appeared on Parade.
In January 2024, Elle King went onstage to celebrate Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday, and she nearly blew the candle out on her career. King, 36, infamously stumbled through a cover of Parton’s “Mary Me” in which she forgot the lyrics, cussed on stage, and admitted to being “f—ing hammered.” Looking back on the incident, King realized that it was the lowest point in her life, personally and professionally.
“Everything that had accumulated, everything that I had just, like, sucked on to my life, in my depression, all just kind of came to a head,” King said during a recent appearance on Bunnie Xo’sDumb Blonde podcast. The “Ex’s and Oh’s” singer said she was dealing with depression while separated from her partner, Dan Tooker, all while taking care of their toddler, Lucky Levi.
King was running on no sleep, little food and too much alcohol. “I think it was probably just rock bottom, right? If it wasn’t that, it was going to be something else,” she told Bunnie.
After taking “one [tequila] shot too many,” she stepped out on the Grand Ole Opry stage to deliver a performance so bad, the venue issued a formal apology to an upset fan. And she knew she messed up, then and there.
“Boom — I come too and, like, the curtain’s down, and it sucks. It’s awful,” said King. “I went home and I was like, ‘I never want to cry like that in a car ride home. I never want to wake up feeling like that ever again.'”
Dolly Parton performing at the Manchester Bridgewater Hall in 2002Photo by Jon Super/Redferns)
Parton didn’t hold the performance against King. “She’s a great girl, and she’s been going through hard things lately,” Parton told Extra after the incident. “She just had a little too much to drink, so let’s just forgive that and forget it and move on, ’cause she felt worse than anyone ever could.”
King (whose real name is Tanner Elle Schnieder, and is the daughter of Rob Schneider) said Parton’s kindness is “proof of angels.”
“I learned so much from this experience, and if I can come out of it, literally anyone can,” said King. “And I’ve had so many experiences like that. I hope I have less of them in the future.”
King has since committed to her sobriety and reconciled with Tooker. They welcomed their second child in February.
Is Elle King Banned From The Grand Ole Opry?
No. Though King wrote a song titled “Banned From The Grand Ole Opry,” she is not officially banned from country music’s most hallowed hall.
Related: If You Love Martinis, You Need to Try Dolly Parton’s ‘Dirt Road’ Version
Singer Says Her Drunken Dolly Parton Tribute Was the Moment She Hit ‘Rock Bottom’ first appeared on Parade on Aug 1, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.