{"id":25031,"date":"2026-08-25T21:27:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T21:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=25031"},"modified":"2026-08-25T21:27:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T21:27:04","slug":"steve-doocy-i-was-lucky-to-know-dolly-parton-beyond-rhinestones-and-big-hair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=25031","title":{"rendered":"STEVE DOOCY: I was lucky to know Dolly Parton beyond rhinestones and big hair"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Dolly came from \u2018very humble beginnings:\u2019 Lee Greenwood<\/h4>\n

Country music star Lee Greenwood remembers Dolly Parton\u2019s life, legacy and lasting impact following her death. He reflects on her \u2018humble beginnings\u2019, her rise to stardom and the tributes honoring the country music icon on \u2018America Reports.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On August 23, 2016, ten years ago this week, I was with Dolly Parton in New York City, and we were about to do a live segment on FOX & Friends.<\/p>\n

Just before we went on, I asked Dolly if I could take a selfie with her.<\/p>\n

She looked at me and said, “Why would you want a picture with little ol\u2019 me?”<\/p>\n

DOLLY PARTON DEAD AT 80 AS COUNTRY MUSIC WORLD MOURNS BELOVED ICON WHOSE SONGS SHAPED GENERATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

I laughed and said, “Hello\u2026Dolly\u2014you\u2019re Dolly Parton!”<\/p>\n

That was Dolly.<\/p>\n

Over my years on “FOX & Friends,” I was lucky enough to interview her probably half a dozen times. And here\u2019s something people watching at home wouldn\u2019t necessarily know: Dolly was always on time. Always prepared. Always a professional.<\/p>\n

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\"Dolly<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
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Dolly Parton and Steve Doocy at ‘Fox & Friends’ on Aug. 23, 2026.<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In morning television, where guests sometimes arrive moments before they\u2019re supposed to be on live TV\u2014or occasionally after\u2014that matters!<\/p>\n

Dolly showed up ready to go. And the minute the camera came on, so did that Dolly magic.<\/p>\n

She was funny, quick, kind and incredibly smart. She knew exactly what she wanted to say, but somehow never let an interview feel rehearsed. You could ask her a serious question and get a thoughtful answer, then a few seconds later she\u2019d say something hilarious that nobody saw coming.<\/p>\n

DOLLY PARTON’S CALIFORNIA RETREAT WITH WIG ROOM AND DOLLYWOOD BIRDHOUSE LISTS FOR $1.95M<\/strong><\/p>\n

She was simply great television.<\/p>\n

But what I remember most is that she was just as nice when the cameras weren\u2019t rolling.<\/p>\n

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For all her fame, Dolly always seemed to understand something important: being nice to people doesn\u2019t cost a thing.<\/p>\n

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Underneath the rhinestones, the big hair and that unmistakable Tennessee voice was a very savvy businesswoman. Dolly didn\u2019t just build a career. She built an empire. She understood her audience, understood her brand and, most importantly, understood people. And somehow, through all that enormous success, she remained remarkably down-to-earth.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, I interviewed Dolly and my friend James Patterson about the novel they wrote together, “Run, Rose, Run”. Later, when I toured James\u2019 Florida home, he showed me one of his prized possessions: a guitar Dolly had given him, inscribed with a birthday message that ended, naturally, “I will always love you.”<\/p>\n

That was Dolly, too.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s another connection I had completely forgotten until today. During the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge craze in 2014, Kenny Rogers was challenged by Lionel Richie. Kenny then nominated three people to go next: Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton\u2026and me.<\/p>\n

To this day, I\u2019m still not entirely sure how Steve Doocy wound up on a list with Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton\u2014but I\u2019m glad I did!<\/p>\n

Dolly was one of those rare people who seemed to be exactly the same person when the cameras were off as when they were on.<\/p>\n

Funny. Kind. Smart. Professional. And completely original.<\/p>\n

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Dolly Parton speaks onstage at Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs In Symphony World Premiere at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on March 20, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee.\u00a0<\/span> (Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

She wrote songs that generations know by heart. She became a legendary entertainer, songwriter and businesswoman. She gave away millions of books to children. And she never seemed to forget where she came from\u2014or lose her wonderful ability to laugh at herself.<\/p>\n

For all her fame, Dolly always seemed to understand something important: being nice to people doesn\u2019t cost a thing.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m grateful our paths crossed so many times. And today, ten years later, I\u2019m especially grateful I asked for that selfie.<\/p>\n

Godspeed, Dolly.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks for the music, the laughs, the memories\u2014and the kindness.<\/p>\n

There will never be another one quite like you.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM STEVE DOOCY<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Steve Doocy currently serves as co-host of FOX News Channel’s (FNC)\u00a0FOX & Friends<\/i>\u00a0(weekdays 6-9AM\/ET) alongside Ainsley Earhardt, Brian Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dolly came from \u2018very humble beginnings:\u2019 Lee Greenwood Country music star Lee Greenwood remembers Dolly…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}