Live stream will be available after this brief ad from our sponsors
Backstage Country

LISTEN LIVE

Elle King Is Quiet After Opry Performance, Fans Are Not

Elle King has been silent on social media since she played the Grand Ole Opry’s tribute to Dolly Parton on Friday night (1/19) for the icon’s birthday in Nashville and…

Elle King performing in a tan hat and blue top
Jason Davis/Getty Images

Elle King has been silent on social media since she played the Grand Ole Opry's tribute to Dolly Parton on Friday night (1/19) for the icon's birthday in Nashville and was clearly drunk. She botched one of Dolly's songs, forgetting the words and using profanity throughout.

Her fans on Instagram, and some who don't know her that well, have followed her Instagram just to share their reactions to her performance on the Opry, where sang one of Parton's songs ("Marry Me") off-key and sang the wrong lyrics adding in the f-word and then telling the crowd that they are not getting their money back. She admitted that she was "f------ hammered."

The last couple of Instagram posts King made were one of her swinging her toddler son around, and the last post she made was of herself dancing and drinking a full glass of wine as she watched a performance and then some clips of her drinking with friends on a night out.

People have been posting in droves comments to that post about her drinking. The comments are not good for her.

Here are just a few of them:

  • "Seriously though, maybe you should evaluate your drinking issue after the blatant disrespect to Dolly. Also, you were wasted during your NYE performance, and it sucked! I won't be listening to any of your music anymore. Apologize to the legend Dolly and truly maybe look into rehab."
  • "Can't wait to watch your redemption journey. I used to love some dirty martinis, and it wasn't until multiple rock bottoms that I now look back and realize how broken and lost I was. Our culture glorifies alcohol, and I can't imagine if I were on a public stage how much more I would have drank. You have so much life to live; don't let the booze rob you of it! Praying for you."
  • "What a shame and disappointment. I really admired you and loved your music. The people you disrespected are the ones paying your bills and paying for tickets. You also disrespected the queen of country. You owe people apologies and need to get help. You owe your son a sober mom. Don't get too big for your britches because it can all be taken away within a blink of an eye. Your behavior at the Opry was not cute at all. Get yourself into rehab and save yourself now."

In another Instagram post of her swinging her toddler son while in Hawaii, many more comments have been added by angry fans. There is just one positive comment on the issue from one fan who wrote, "Dolly Parton will reach out to her…Dolly has class and is caring. Be like Dolly."

Another angry fan commented, "You are letting him down by your behavior. I'm sure your dad wasn't proud of your actions, either. Save yourself and get some help. You are too talented to lose it all. Take a good look in the mirror, and don't get too big for your britches. It can all be taken away in a blink of an eye. The people you disrespected pay your bills."

The life of a country music star is fast-paced, and often, country music sings about drinking and drowning your sorrows. Hitting the road and living a constant party can lead to country music stars doing some serious drinking. In 2022, Lady A's Charles Kelley canceled a tour to get sober and later wrote a song ("As far As I Could") about his journey.

Charles said in a statement when he released the song, "For me, the biggest word I've been holding onto is gratitude, not pride. I'm grateful. I finally see the light and am connecting with what life is all about. Some days are hard, but the good outweighs those bad moments. There's some beauty in all this, and I've had time to reflect, time to get healthy, time to write. I've probably written 50 songs this fall, and I feel like all of it was leading to this one song."

The song was co-written and produced with Lady A bandmates Dave Haywood and Jimmy Robbins. The ballad captures an inner conflict experienced by many, mixing sadness and serenity as Kelley recounts the steps along his path – both good and bad.

Lady A bandmates Haywood and Hillary Scott even considered putting their stamp on "As Far As You Could." They ultimately changed their minds. Dave Haywood said, "We were almost afraid that if we put a bunch of vocals on it, that might take away from the pain and authenticity of that singular vocal." Kelley added, "Hillary especially felt it was important for me to tell my story, kind of the same way she was able to do with 'Thy Will.' With their blessing, I'm putting this out, but it will live right alongside everything else we do."

We look at five country music superstars who have either put the bottle down or never drank at all.

Brad Paisley: Never Drank

Brad Paisley

Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Even though he scored a big hit in 2009 with a song called "Alcohol," it's a little-known fact that Brad has never been a drinker. Even though he can mix you a drink in his Nashville "Yellow House," which he uses for making music, he has never touched the stuff.

Charles Kelley - Sober since 2022

Charles Kelley

Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Lady A postponed their tour in 2022 for bandmate Charles Kelley to have a "journey to sobriety." Since then, Kelley co-wrote and recorded a solo song about his journey called "As Far As I Could." The lyrics sing in part, "You gave me the courage the night I met my wife / You helped me make her laugh 'til you helped me make her cry / You started out a friend turned into somethin' else / Now I like who I am with you sittin' on the shelf."

Shania Twain: Doesn't Drink While Working

Shania Twain

Vivien Killilea/Getty Images

Shania told Entertainment Weekly in 2002 that she doesn't drink simply because she has never been "interested" in alcohol. She said at the time, "I've never had a drinking problem and never drank when I worked."

Tim McGraw: Sober Since 2013

Tim McGraw

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

In 2013, he told People, "I don't drink at all. It's not a part of my life anymore." Tim told Esquire in 2021, "I remember a moment when I was getting out of bed and going to the liquor cabinet and taking a big shot at eight in the morning and thinking, I have to wake the kids up."

Keith Urban: Sober Since 2006

Keith UrbanPhoto by Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Jason Davis/Getty Images

Keith, who went to rehab shortly after he married Nicole Kidman in 2006, told the U.K. Times in April 2022, "I've nothing against drugs or alcohol. Everyone does what they want to do to have a great time. I just realized I'm allergic to it. Someone said, 'You have an allergy? What happens when you drink?' And I said, 'I break out in cuffs.'"

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.