There's controversy once again brewing in the world of country music, this time over the recent Dolly Parton birthday tribute show held at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday in honor of the music icon's 78th birthday.
At the center of the controversy is singer Elle King, who has faced backlash after a botched, expletive-ridden performance of Dolly's song "Marry Me," after which she admitted she was "hammered."
Below, read everything there is to know about Elle, what she said during her performance that angered attendees, and the reaction, including from the "Jolene" singer's family.
Who is Elle King?
Elle, 34, was born Tanner Elle Schneider, and is the daughter of actor and comedian Rob Schneider, 60, who is best known for his roles in The Hot Chick, Grown Ups, 50 First Dates, among others. Elle is a product of his marriage to London King, which lasted from 1988 to 1990.
MORE: Dolly Parton makes huge reveal on 78th birthday - and her husband will be thrilled
The singer released her debut album, Love Stuff, in 2015, and with it one of her most popular songs, "Ex's & Oh's," which received two Grammy nominations.
© GettyWhat did Elle King say during her Grand Ole Opry tribute to Dolly Parton?
Videos from Elle's performance shared on social media see her mumbling the lyrics to "Marry Me," before confessing she's drunk and can't keep up. After struggling through the song, she told the audience: "This [expletive] is [expletive] fast, how'd Dolly sing this [expletive]?" and even added: "I don't know the lyrics, don't tell Dolly 'cause it's her birthday."
She also said: "Y'all bought tickets for this [expletive]. You ain't gettin' your money back," and after segueing into one of her own songs – because "I can barely play another person's song, let me see if I can play one of mine" – she concluded her performance with: "Hi, my name is Elle King and I'm [expletive] hammered."
Did Dolly Parton react to Elle King's performance?
While neither Dolly nor Elle have publicly addressed the messy tribute, one Dolly's sisters, Stella Parton, wrote on X: "I'm still stewing and thinking bout how any lil spoiled brat with an opportunity to sing on the Opry to pay tribute to a legendary songwriter like Dolly Parton would just piss on the star circle on the stage. Taylor Swift wouldn't."
MORE: Dolly Parton's 11 lookalike siblings: all you need to know about the star's famous family life
The Grand Ole Opry also hasn't released an official statement, though in response to an X user complaining of the "profane" performance, they wrote: "We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night's Opry performance."
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