Elle King’s Grand Ole Opry Performance of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” at the Ryman

The Grand Ole Opry apologized to fans after Elle King, who described herself as “fu__ing hammered,” cussed during the traditionally family-friendly show, awkwardly bantered with hecklers, and forgot the Parton song she was supposed to sing during the birthday salute.

“We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance,” the Opry’s account on X (formerly Twitter) said Saturday (January 20).

A Ryman Auditorium attendee wrote on X, “Elle King ruined the night with her horrible, drunk, and profane performance.”

“Dolly Parton would have been mortified. For our first time at the Opry, it was a shame we all had to witness that. It was such a disappointment to spend $300 on tickets for a show where one artist ruined an entire night,” the attendee said.