In a rare political statement, Dolly Parton is speaking out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Parton told Billboard she could understand the strong reactions that have gripped the United States after the killing of George Floyd.
"I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen," Parton said. "And of course black lives matter. Do we think our little white a**** are the only ones that matter? No!"
During the interview, Parton also spoke about the decision to change the name of her Dollywood dinner show "Dixie Stampede" to "Dolly Parton's Stampede" in 2018. The term Dixie refers to Southern U.S. states, especially those that belonged to the Confederacy.
"There's such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that," Parton said. "When they said 'Dixie' was an offensive word, I thought, 'Well, I don't want to offend anybody. This is a business. We'll just call it the Stampede."
Earlier this year, the Grammy-winning country group Dixie Chicks announced that they were dropping the word Dixie from their name, now going by The Chicks. The move followed a decision by country group Lady Antebellum to change to Lady A after acknowledging the word's association to slavery.
Lady A announced the decision In June, noting that they chose their name, which refers to the pre-Civil War period in the South, because of their connection to the region and the style of the house where they took their first pictures as a band.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.