ABC, CBS To Air Specials Commemorating The Life Of Dolly Parton
Developed over time first seen 8 hours ago
CBS News and ABC News are each airing television specials on Tuesday to mark the death of country music icon Dolly Parton, who died at the age of 80. The tributes reflect her enormous cultural standing in the United States, with broadcast networks interrupting regular programming to cover her death and messages of condolence arriving from figures across the political divide, illustrating her rare status as a unifying public figure.
CBS News' special airs at 10pm ET, fronted by Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil with contributions from Anthony Mason and a Dollywood correspondent, drawing on archive interviews from 1959 to 2023. ABC News will broadcast a special edition of 20/20 at the same time, hosted by David Muir and featuring tributes from Jane Fonda, Keith Urban and others, later streaming on Disney+ and Hulu; NBC will follow with its own special on Wednesday at 9pm ET. President Donald Trump ordered flags lowered in her honour, while Kamala Harris and all living former US presidents also paid tribute.
- Dolly Parton has died aged 80.
- CBS, ABC and NBC are airing tribute specials this week.
- Tributes came from Trump, Harris and all living ex-presidents.
Full account
ABC News and CBS News said they would broadcast tribute programmes on Tuesday after reports of Dolly Parton’s death at the age of 80. CBS scheduled CBS News Special: Dolly Parton — An American Icon for 10pm Eastern Time, while ABC planned a one-hour 20/20 edition, Dolly Parton: An American Original, for the same time.
CBS’s programme is due to be presented by Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil, with contributions from Anthony Mason and reporting from Dollywood in Tennessee. It is expected to revisit archive interviews, including Parton’s conversations with Morley Safer for 60 Minutes and Norah O’Donnell, alongside new discussion of her life and career.
ABC’s special, led by David Muir, will examine Parton’s influence on music, film and American popular culture. The network said it would include archive interviews with Robin Roberts and Barbara Walters, as well as material involving figures including Jane Fonda, Keith Urban, Keke Palmer and representatives of the country-music industry. ABC said the programme would become available on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.
The reports placed the television tributes amid a wider public response. A separate account focused on Taylor Swift’s remembrance of Parton, highlighting their mutual admiration and Swift’s recent support for the Imagination Library. That report described Parton’s charitable work, songwriting and example to younger performers, while the television report also noted political tributes and NBC’s planned Wednesday-night special.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 concentrates on broadcast plans, programme contributors, archive footage and broader political and network tributes.
Source 2 centres on Taylor Swift’s reaction, her connection with Parton and Parton’s philanthropy; it also says representatives described Parton’s death as following a brief illness with cancer, a detail not included in Source 1.
More coverage