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Universal Studios Changes Concert Lineup After Elle King/Dolly Parton Controversy

Dolly and Universal Logo / Elle King controversy
Credit: Disney / Universal Studios

The famous singer, entrepreneur, movie star, and American Legend Dolly Parton celebrated her 78th birthday last week.

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Dolly Parton Fulfills Dying Man's Wish Serenades Him

Credit: Pipilongstockings, Flickr

Her official birthdate was January 19, a tribute to the singer was performed at The Grand Ole Opry.

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The Dolly Parton Tribute Incident

As part of the tribute, singer Elle King performed Dolly Parton’s “Marry Me”. However, she botched her performance in what was a bizarre public appearance. Elle King forgot the lyrics, used profanity, and then later told the crowd she was “hammered.

Elle King Dolly Parton Tribute

Credit: People’s Choice Awards

“I don’t know the lyrics to these things in this f—ing town,” King sang. “Don’t tell Dolly ’cause it’s her birthday.”

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The display was, needless to say, controversial, striking much backlash. Although the Grand Ole Opry has apologized for the performance, the country music singer herself has yet to comment on the incident.

The Elle King Fallout

However, the fallout from the event seems to be swift. She was dropped from a performance in Fort Worth, Texas, and Universal Studios has replaced her from their Mardi Gras concert lineup.

Elle King was also set to perform with Nessa Barrett at Universal Studios Florida on February 17. There have also been several other performances and appearances King was scheduled for that have since been rescheduled or canceled.

Although Dolly Parton was not performing as part of the tribute, it included many other artists singing her songs. In the case of Elle King, the “Ex’s and Oh’s” singer was performing the song “Marry Me.”

@traveler_bex

#Elleking ruins #dollyparton birthday bash in #nashville with her drunk preformace

♬ original sound – Bex

Some have suggested that the the country singer owes both Dolly Parton and the Grand Ole Opry an apology for her behavior.

Meanwhile, it appears that Universal Studios Florida has no interest in the controversy. The Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval runs from February 3, 2024, through April 7.

universal studios orlando florida

Credit: Universal

In addition to dropping Elle King from her original performance, she has not been rescheduled to any subsequent date.

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DisneyFanatic will continue to follow this story if there are any further updates.

About Steven

Steven has a complicated relationship with Disney. As a child, he visited Walt Disney World every few years with his family. But he never understood why kids his age (and older) were so scared of Snow White or Alien Encounter. He is a former participant of the Disney College Program (left early…long story), and he also previously worked in Children’s publishing, where he adapted multiple Disney movies and TV shows. He has many controversial opinions about Disney…like having a positive view of Michael Eisner, believing Return of the Jedi is superior to The Empire Strikes Back, and that Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge should have never been built (at least not at Hollywood Studios). Every year for the past two decades, Steven has visited either Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani or went on a Disney Cruise. He’s happy to share any and all knowledge of the Disney destinations (and he likes using parenthesis a lot…as well as ellipses…)

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