This Country Star Once Defended Dolly Parton in an Interview With a Real “Bless Your Heart” Moment
In a 1996 interview, Reba McEntire pushed back when Tom Snyder suggested Dolly Parton had lost country fans by moving into film. McEntire said Parton was broadening her entertainment work, not leaving country music, and explained that she too hoped to expand her audience through acting while keeping her music and fan base.
The article connects that exchange with McEntire’s later defence of Parton against false AI-generated images, and her account of missing a call from her friend shortly before Parton died. In 2025, McEntire joked about fabricated images showing her pregnant and Parton on her deathbed; in a September interview, she said she had tried to return Parton’s call but never learned why she had called.
- McEntire defended Parton during a 1996 interview.
- She said film could expand, not replace, a country music career.
- McEntire later said she missed Parton’s final call.
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Dolly Parton is a country singer and songwriter whose work has also included films and television. Reba McEntire is another country singer who has pursued acting alongside her music.
Country performers can take on work in other parts of entertainment while continuing to make country music. In a 1996 interview, McEntire described Parton’s move into films as an expansion of her work, and said she hoped to broaden her own audience through acting too.