Country music legend Dolly Parton says she is a “faith-based person” who believes in the redemptive power of forgiveness, describing cancel culture as “terrible” while addressing criticism sparked by her collaboration with Kid Rock.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 77-year-old Country Music (and Rock & Roll) Hall of Fame member said she could accept Kid Rock for who he is.
Her duet with Kid Rock features on her new album, “Rockstar,” and she said she was happy to work with him “before the controversy that he had,” although it was unclear which controversy she was referring to.
“Of course I did that before the controversy that he had, but somebody was talking to me the other day, ‘How could you do this [song] with Kid?’” she said. “I said, ‘Hey, just because I love you don’t mean I don’t love Kid Rock. Just because I love Kid Rock don’t mean I don’t love you.’ I don’t condemn or criticize. I just accept and love.”
Parton pointed to her her faith in the interview as the reason why she doesn’t like cancel culture.
Country star Dolly Parton performed her hit song “Go to Hell” during a Christmas special, where she rebuked the Devil on prime-time television, proclaiming “Satan is real.” https://t.co/nSp3J14Ntc
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) December 6, 2022
Kid Rock attracted attention from critics in April when he posted of video of himself shooting up cases of Bud Light in an apparent response to the beer brand’s hiring of transgender social media personality Dylan Mulvaney as its newest spokesperson, as Breitbart News reported.
“I think that’s terrible,” she said of cancel culture. “We all make mistakes. We don’t all get caught at it. But also when somebody makes a mistake, it depends on who they are. That’s what God is there for.
“Now I happen to believe in God; I’m a faith-based person, so therefore I am able to see it like that,” she said. “A lot of people don’t, but even still, everybody deserves a second chance. You deserve to be innocent until you’re proven guilty. Even when you’re proven guilty, if God can forgive you, so can I. If God can forgive you, we all should forgive one another.”
Parton’s “Rockstar” also features collaborations with Steven Tyler, Sting, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Debbie Harry, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Lizzo, Stevie Nicks and more.