Dolly Parton could turn almost any awkward situation into comedy gold. Over the decades, she’s had interviewers ask her the most inappropriate questions allowed on Late Night TV, yet Dolly rarely took the bait. She defused embarrassing moments with funny one-liners, and left seasoned TV hosts completely speechless.
She knew who she was and stood ten toes down on her convictions and lifestyle choices. And that’s exactly why everyone loved her.
1. Greatest marriage advice ever
What’s the secret to a successful marriage? Is it money? Maybe it’s being a good cook? Sharing your troubles with one another? Well, according to Dolly Parton, it’s none of the above. Those qualities are great to have, but they will only take your marriage so far. What actually works is to “stay gone,” or in other words, don’t spend every waking moment together.
Even though her advice was more of a joke, she’s not wrong. Spending all your time with your boo will eventually make you experience things that you won’t be able to unsee.
2. Dolly shuts down Barbara Walters
This clip from an interview with Barbara Walters may be old, but the things Dolly says here still hold up. And while we’re at it, why was Barbara pressing Dolly about her looks and her upbringing, instead of focusing on her songwriting? Those questions sound remarkably patronizing, but Dolly refused to take the bait, kept calm, and carried on.
3. Dolly the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Dolly went on Late Night with Letterman more times than you can count, unless you can count to ten. But each show she was invited to was filled with glee and whimsy, thanks to Dolly’s quick wit and nonchalant attitude. This time around, she came on stage wearing a reindeer suit and performed “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
4. Dolly and Bette Midler sing “Islands in the Stream”
This is just a short clip of Dolly and Bette Midler singing “Islands in the Stream.” The twist here is that Bette actually plays her fictionalized character and becomes jealous of Dolly during the taping of this TV special, almost destroying the whole set, knocking over a strategically placed fake palm tree.
5. Dolly tells a raunchy joke
On March 12, 1988, Dolly told one of the best jokes-slash-life advice to millions of teenagers. During an audience-question segment, someone asked her a serious question, but she saw an opening for a risqué joke, and immediately took it. And what’s even more impressive is that the joke was actually a solid piece of advice that more people should follow.
6. “If you had been born a man…”
When Dolly was asked whether she ever wished she had been born a guy, her answer was quick and sharp. She said she’d always been a “sissy” and if she were born a guy, she’d probably become a drag queen. Honestly, that tracks for her character. Dolly has frequently acknowledged her popularity among drag performers and her LGBTQ fans.
7. Dolly calls Sylvester Stallone “pretty”
While promoting the 1984 musical comedy “Rhinestone,” Dolly and Sylvester Stallone showed off their crazy chemistry. In this playful interview, Dolly calls Stallone “pretty,” and he just can’t handle it, making the situation quite adorable. It was also probably the first time he was called that.
8. Dolly shows off her unusual “talent”
During this interview with Jay Leno, Dolly jokes about her valuable assets and does a little demo for the camera. She starts flexing her chest muscles independently, and we see her breasts bounce like she’s Arnold Schwarzenneger in his prime. Turns out, he was actually the one who taught her this party trick.
9. Dolly’s mock striptease for Conan O’Brien
Conan’s Late Night show did not shy away from raunchy topics and candid questions, which made Dolly Parton a perfect guest to have around. They had fun conversations about beauty, Dollywood, and some other stuff before Conan dared her to take off all her clothes. Naturally, this was just a spicy joke, but Dolly doesn’t mess around with “dares.” She was ready to do it, especially after Conan double-dog-dared her.
10. Dolly Parton for president
In this final clip, Ellen asks Dolly whether she would ever consider running for president, and the answer was so iconic that it still lives rent-free in millions of people’s heads. Dolly fired away one of her typical self-deprecating jokes, saying, “Don’t you think we have enough boobs in the White House?” The double entendre was *mwah* chef’s kiss!