Stella Parton: No entertainers she knows reached out

Stella Parton says that in the two weeks since her sister Dolly Parton’s death, not one entertainer she knows has reached out to her.

“I haven’t had one condolence from anyone — anybody that I know, entertainers that I know,” Stella Parton, 77, said in a CBS Mornings interview with co-host Gayle King that aired Thursday. The Nashville-based singer said the silence extends beyond the music industry to her own community, adding that she hasn’t heard from anyone in the area since Dolly Parton’s death.

Dolly Parton, the country music icon known for hits including “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” died Aug. 25 at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer.

Ms. Parton speculated that the lack of outreach from her peers may be tied to her own political activity on social media, though she did not name any specific artists she believes have snubbed her.

The comments stood in contrast to her late sister’s decades-long reputation for keeping her political views private. Dolly Parton once told Fox News, “I don’t voice my political opinions … I just get out there and entertain,” in a 2017 interview that followed a moment at that year’s Emmy Awards when her “9 to 5” co-stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin used the stage to criticize President Trump. Stella Parton echoed that characterization in the CBS interview, calling her sister a “good businesswoman” for keeping her political opinions private.

When Ms. King pressed Stella Parton on whether she and her sister shared the same political views, she declined to answer, telling Ms. King, “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”