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Dolly Parton is speaking out after Elle King came under fire for her January 19 performance at the Grand Ole Opry during a Parton tribute concert celebrating the country icon’s 78th birthday.

Parton’s 78th birthday was celebrated with events honoring the country star in venues throughout Nashville, Tennessee.

The night at the Grand Ole Opry was dedicated to Parton, with performances from King, Terri Clark, Tigirlily Gold, Ashley Monroe, Dailey and Vincent among others.

King appeared onstage admitting she didn't know the words to the song she was there to sing, Dolly’s classic hit "Marry Me."

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Dolly Parton defends Elle King

In a Thursday interview with E! News Parton said King is a "doll." Parton also revealed that she called the “Worth a Shot” singer after the controversial performance.

"I called her, and I said, 'You know, there are many F-words,'" Parton gave her take. "'Why don't we use the right one? Forgiveness, friends, forget it.'"

She claimed King "made a mistake" and "feels worse about it than anybody" but is "a talented girl going through some hard times."

"So, we need to get over that because she's a great artist and a great person," Parton said.

The one-song performance 

Fans complained about what they thought was a disrespectful and tasteless cover of Parton's classic song. 

King’s performance was caught on video and multiple TikToks emerged of Elle King’s appearance which prompted the Grand Old Opry to issue an apology.

"We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night's second Opry performance," the Opry's post said. 

King’s performance was filled with ramblings and profanities. And it started when she took the stage.

"I'll tell you one thing more … Hi, my name is Elle King. I'm (expletive) hammered," she admitted.

"I don't know the lyrics to these things in this (expletive) town/Don't tell Dolly 'cause it's her birthday. I'm not even gonna (expletive) lie … y'all bought tickets for this (expletive), you ain't getting your money back."

Dolly says Forgive

Parton previously gave an interview to Extra about King's performance where she claimed "Elle is really a great artist. She’s a great girl, and she’s been going through hard things lately."