Elle King Reveals the Full Story Behind Her Drunken Dolly Parton Tribute
Dolly Parton Reveals What She Told Elle King After Birthday Tribute Drama (Exclusive)
Elle King is laying it all out on the table.
The “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer detailed what happened before and after her controversial performance at the Grand Old Opry’s Dolly Parton 78th birthday tribute show in January.
“I had been going through something very heavy and traumatic in my life at the time,” Elle explained during the May 16 episode of Chelsea Handler‘s iHeartRadio podcast Dear Chelsea. “That day was a really big day dealing with what I was going through and am still going through, and I suffer from severe PTSD.”
Because of the stress she was under, the 34-year-old said she “hadn’t eaten” and “hadn’t slept in days” ahead of the tribute, explaining, “I was really overwhelmed.”
“I was like a shell of myself,” Elle continued. “There was a big snowstorm that day, and this other singer who’s supposed to be the headliner backed out like three hours before, and they asked me if I would sing—if I would be the headliner and sing ‘Jolene.’ I was like, ‘Great, I know that song.'”