Elle King’s Fort Worth Concert Postponed Following Controversial Dolly Parton Tribute
Elle King‘s upcoming concert at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth, originally scheduled for this Friday, has been postponed to September 21, as announced by the venue on social media. The announcement indicated that original event tickets would be honored for the new date, with refund options available at the point of purchase.
Representatives for Elle King have not yet responded to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment, and the venue’s representative offered no additional information.
This decision comes on the heels of a controversial performance by King at a Dolly Parton tribute at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on January 19. During the set, King openly admitted to being “hammered,” displaying slurred speech and forgetting the lyrics to Parton’s 2001 hit “Marry Me.” She remarked, “I don’t give a s—. I don’t know the lyrics to these things in this f—ing town,” and added, “Don’t tell Dolly ’cause it’s her birthday.”
A video capturing the incident was shared online, with King also stating, “I’m not even gonna f—ing lie, y’all bought tickets for this s—? You ain’t getting your money back. I’ll tell you one thing more. Hi, my name is Elle King and I’m f—ing hammered.”
The Grand Ole Opry issued an apology on social media, expressing deep regret for the language used during the performance. Criticism had surfaced on social media platforms, prompting the venue to respond, acknowledging that the incident was regrettable for attendees during their first Opry performance.
This is not the first instance of controversy for Elle King, as she faced criticism for a similar performance on New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, where she made remarks about living the lyrics of her song “Drunk (And I Don’t Want to Go Home)” and appeared to slur her words.
Elle King still has numerous tour dates scheduled between February and October, according to her official website.