Dolly Parton Responds to Elle King’s Botched Opry Tribute [Watch]

Dolly Parton isn't holding a grudge against Elle King.

In a recent interview with Extra TV, Parton fielded some questions about her recent birthday — including the now-infamous Grand Ole Opry-mounted birthday tribute where King flubbed the lyrics of Parton's song "Marry Me" before admitting to the crowd that she was "hammered."

The singer also dropped several curse words during her time onstage and got playfully combative with an audience member. After the show, the venue apologized for her language, but some outraged fans felt that wasn't enough: On social media, several described King's performance as "disrespectful," both to the Opry stage and to Parton herself.

However, the country legend doesn't see things that way.

"Elle is really a great artist. She's a great girl," Parton replied, when asked for her perspective on the botched performance.

"She's been going through a lot of hard things lately," the country legend continued. "And she just had a little too much to drink. So let's just forgive that and forget it and move on, 'cause she felt worse than anybody ever could."

Parton didn't say directly whether or not King's been in touch with her since the incident. The younger star has yet to deliver public comment on her onstage mishap, though she has postponed multiple upcoming shows, wiping her tour calendar clean through late March.

Parton's younger sister, fellow singer Stella Parton, has expressed a less  forgiving perspective on King's onstage debacle. She shared a series of tweets after the fact, calling the singer a "lil spoiled brat" and her drunkenness a "lame excuse" for unprofessional behavior.