Watching football can be as much of a Thanksgiving tradition as turkey and stuffing for some people, and NFL viewers of the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders on November 23 also saw country music legend Dolly Parton take the stage at the halftime show. The 77-year-old singer and longtime Hollywood It girl belted out some of the biggest hits from her long career in an outfit that fit right in with the cheerleaders at the Cowboys home game, and while some have had critical comments, Parton's sister Stella dropped an F-bomb in her defense.
Dolly Parton sang a three-song, seven-minute set comprised of the iconic "Jolene," "9 to 5" from the movie of the same name, and a cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions." It began with Parton showing her support for The Salvation Army before starting "Jolene" halfway through the football game. Unfortunately, some people on social media had issues with the singer wearing a cheerleader-esque outfit. Stella Parton had a short and sweet message to the haters that I think fans everywhere can agree with:
I personally thought my big sister Dolly was cute as hell in her Dallas Cowboys cheerleading costume at the half time show on Thanksgiving. To those of you being so critical of a 77 year old kicking up her heels, I say fuck yourself. Shame on you not her.November 26, 2023
I have to agree with Stella Parton – a singer/songwriter herself – on X (formerly known as Twitter) about Dolly looking "cute as hell" in her Dallas Cowboys costume for the Thanksgiving halftime show, no matter her age. Plus, what's not to love about her song choices? "Jolene" alone is a legendary song, to the point that America's Got Talent performers Chapel Hart came close to winning the whole season with their audition's take on it. "9 to 5" is certainly catchy, and Queen's "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" pairing is perfect for any sporting event.
The official X account for the NFL had what I consider to be a great take on Dolly Parton's halftime show, posting:
.@DollyParton is the brightest 🌟 in Dallas #WASvsDAL pic.twitter.com/jfJD2NamPeNovember 23, 2023
Dolly Parton was certainly a star for the Dallas fans! The Cowboys vs. Commanders game ended with a decisive 45-10 win for the Dallas team, with 25 of the Cowboys' points coming in the second half of the game. I'm not saying that the singer is responsible for the surge of scoring in the second half, but her performance didn't hurt!
In all seriousness, Dolly Parton – who easily ranks among the professional musicians with film roles – has a legacy that will endure far longer than any hateful posts on social media that motivated a response from Stella Parton. She's a favorite for her sense of humor and philanthropy as well as her musical talent, including going viral over comments about expecting to "drop dead" while performing someday because she doesn't intend to ever retire and an amusingly inaccurate self-burn to Kelly Clarkson. The Dollywood theme park began a program to cover the college expenses for employees back in 2022, and the singer founded many charities, including the Imagination Library.
All in all, I think it's safe to say that there are more fans than critics of Dolly Parton's halftime show on Thanksgiving. Stella Parton even followed her initial post up with a message to the people who showed support on X, writing "I wanna thank all of you for the positive comments on my post yesterday about my big sister Dolly." Over three days since it was posted, the NFL YouTube account's video of the halftime show has already accumulated three million viewers.
