The Grande Ole Opry apologized for Elle King’s performance during a Dolly Parton tribute concert held at the Ryman Auditorium on Friday night to celebrate the country legend’s 78th birthday. During a cover of “Marry Me,” King admitted she didn’t know the lyrics — “I don’t know the lyrics These things in this damned town / Don’t tell Dolly, ’cause it’s her birthday” — and then addressed the audience: “I ain’t even gonna lie… Y’all bought tickets to this shit, and you ain’t getin’ your money back.”
“I’ll tell you something else,” she said. “Hi, my name is Elle King, I’m in a state of madness.” When someone else on stage suggested that she play one of her own songs, she replied, “I can barely play someone else’s song. Let me see if I can play one of my own.”
Video clips from that night spread on social media. Yesterday, the Opry Twitter account responded to someone who expressed disappointment in King’s behavior during the performance, which included a lot of expletives: “We deeply regret and apologize for the language used during the 2nd Opry performance last night.”
Here are some clips:
@auctioneergirl I think Elle King ended her career here. I can’t imagine disrespecting Dolly at the @Grand Ole Opry on Dolly’s birthday, and I hope Elle gets the help she needs because this doesn’t pass the vibe check. **This is not my video** • • • #thegrandoleopry #drunk #elleking #ellekingmusic #Tennessee #fyp #foryoupage #foryoupageofficiall #fypシ #fypシ゚viral original sound – Victoria
@jamiek721 Elle King disrespected Rayman and Dolly Parton #elleking #grandoleopry #nashville #countrymusic #dollyparton #tributeshow #countrymusictiktoks #cancelled #dollyfam #dolly #drunk Oh No No No Laugh – Sound Effect