Dolly Parton says her husband had some notes when he first saw her now-iconic Dallas Cowboys-inspired cheerleader costume.
People loved when the country legend put her spin on the NFL cheer squad’s signature blue and white outfits last year but she told Page Six that her husband of nearly six-decades, Carl Dean, wasn’t crazy about the glitzy ensemble.
“He did say something like, ‘What? Is it, a little short, don’t you think?’” the Jolene singer explained in an interview published on Wednesday.
Comparing her clothes to the actual Cowboys cheerleaders, Dolly apparently pointed out to her husband: “No! It’s not as short as theirs.”
Dolly and Carl have been married since 1966 but he rarely makes public appearances with the singer, who called her other-half “kind of a loner” in an interview with Entertainment Tonight last year.
The 11-time Grammy winner also told Page Six she was surprised by all the compliments the look wrangled, admitting she assumed people would find her sparkly crop top and shorts combo “to be funny”.
“I thought, if I can, if I could pull this off, that’d be a cool little thing to do,” the Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That? singer said.
“I thought most people would excuse me if it didn’t turn out.”
“I thought, they’re just like us, some older woman making a bad mistake,” Dolly added. “Or I thought, well, maybe it’ll just be something cool to do.”
Fans cheered for the sassy ensemble when Dolly performed during halftime at the Cowboys home game against Washington Commanders in November 2023.
Among her admirers ― former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and supermodel Christie Brinkley, who told the singer she should consider appearing in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition.