[ad_1]
Almost two months later, Elle Rey is finally speaking out about the storm he unleashed with his “hammered” tribute to Dolly Parton about him Grand Ole Opry January 19… and it is not the apology tour that some celebrities would have undertaken in the face of a similar controversy.
“Oh no, it was my human demonstration,” King posted on his Instagram account Sunday morning. Additionally, she wrote, “To everyone who shows me love because I’m human and I already talked to Dolly: I love you. To all those who told me to commit suicide: I love you too.”
These messages came along with a short video showing her running up stairs in an arena, presumably as part of an exercise routine. The clear message conveyed in the video: she is health conscious and in great shape.
King had postponed the rest of her January and February concerts in the wake of the uproar that ensued after she botched the Parton tribute and swore during the usually staid Opry broadcast. There was speculation that she might apologize and announce that she had taken a six-week break from the tour to seek treatment, as is customary for stars caught in embarrassing moments while under the influence. But, in keeping with the outlaw country image she has cultivated since she left rock, King has adopted a somewhat more defiant tone than expected, to the extent that she has broached the subject.
In another Instagram message, posted Saturday after her performance at the C2C Festival at London’s O2 Stadium, the singer wrote: “I’m literally drunk and I don’t want to go home” (echoing the title of her No. 1 country duet with Miranda). Lambert, “Drunk (and I Don’t Want to Go Home)”).
He also indirectly addressed the controversy in an Instagram post earlier in the week, with a photo showing King wrapped in a fetal position in a thick coat on a couch backstage, with the sarcastic overlay: “People who are bad in my ways.” direct messages I think I’m sitting like this.” On a second photo of an almost identical pose, she added: “…when I’m really sitting like this.” The caption of the photos: “If they only knew.” Once again, the apparent message of King: she is not ashamed, she does not bow down, after the controversy.
Concern (and, as King indicates, no small amount of contempt) arose after a calamitous performance at the Opry in which the singer forgot the lyrics to Parton’s “Marry Me” and started singing improvised lines like “I don’t give a damn” and “I don’t know the words to these things in this fucking town… Don’t tell Dolly because it’s her birthday”. Speaking to the crowd between songs, he joked. “Hello, my name is Elle King and I’m fucking banged.”
There was later speculation among radio columnists that the Grand Ole Opry could be subject to a costly fine from the FCC for broadcasting profanity over the air. Some country fans who attended the live show at the Opry House became openly angry on social media about King’s performance, leading to a formal apology on X/Twitter to Opry attendees. But so far there have been no reports of listener complaints leading to any FCC investigation.
Parton had expressed her forgiveness after the incident and urged fans to do the same, telling Extra in January: “Elle is a truly great artist. She is a great girl and has been through a lot of hard things lately. And she just drank too much, so let’s forgive him, forget about him and move on, because she felt worse than anyone else.”
Following his break from touring, King re-emerged with a new look while playing the Extra Innings Festival in Arizona earlier this month (pictured above). She also performed without incident as the opener for Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show at San Diego’s Petco Park before heading to Europe for a series of shows.
