Dolly Parton Said People Warned Her Not to Let Barbara Walters Interview Her: ‘She’ll Chew You Up’
In 1977, Dolly Parton sat down for an interview with Barbara Walters. She was in the middle of crossing over into the pop charts and wanted to increase her star power. She gave a number of interviews at this time, including the one with Walters. When she told people she was doing an interview with Walters, they warned her not to. Parton shared why those who knew her thought this was a mistake.
Dolly Parton said people warned her not to take an interview with Barbara Walters
Parton has often spoken about her rapport with late-night hosts. She did well in interviews with them, but the people close to her warned her about Walters. Parton didn’t find her very frightening, though.
“When I decided to do my first Barbara Walters special, a lot of people warned, ‘Oh, you’re crazy to do that! She’ll chew you up and spit you out,'” Parton wrote in her book Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “Nothing could have been further from the truth. Barbara is a very insightful person. Once she realized I was real, that my insides weren’t as phony as my outsides, she got completely into it.”
Parton joked that she thought Walters might not have taken her entirely seriously. Still, she was happy she got to say her piece.
“I told Barbara Walters during that first special that I wanted to be a superstar,” she wrote. “I’m sure a lot of people thought I was full of it. I think Barbara was even humoring me a little bit. But when I look back at it, everything that I told her came true. I never doubted any of it myself, from the time I was a dreamy little kid. I guess that is the definition of faith.”
She believed the interview showed the public a new side of her
Parton felt that, despite the warnings from people in her life, the interview with Walters was helpful to her career. She believed that it allowed viewers to get to know her personality.
“Before that special I think a lot of people were curious about me but didn’t quite know what to think,” she wrote. “Just like Barbara, they found out I was real and took me into their hearts.”
Because of this, Parton said that she would always appreciate Walters.
“That special did incredible things for me, and I have gone back to do others,” she wrote. “Barbara and I have always had a mutual respect and admiration, and I’m sure that will continue.”
Dolly Parton received praise for the way she answered a question from Barbara Walters
In the interview, Walters asked Parton about her appearance. She wanted to know why Parton wore sky-high wigs and sequined clothing. Parton explained that she didn’t care about adhering to fashion standards and preferred wearing bright, flashy clothing. In response, Walters asked her, “Do you feel like you’re a joke, that people make fun of you?”
Parton’s measured response has continued to gain her admirers even decades after she said it.
“Oh I know they make fun of me, but all these years the people have thought the joke was on me, but it’s actually on them,” Parton said, per Elle. “I am sure of myself as a person. I am sure of my talent. I’m sure of my love for life and that sort of thing. I am very content, I like the kind of person that I am. So, I can afford to piddle around and do-diddle around with makeup and clothes and stuff because I am secure with myself.”
