Introduction:

Dolly Parton Always Got the Last Laugh — and There Was a Reason Why

Interviewers asked about the wigs, the rhinestones and the figure that made her instantly recognizable. Dolly Parton answered with a joke. Then, often before the laughter faded, she showed them exactly who was in control.

Across decades of television appearances, Dolly turned questions that might have embarrassed someone else into some of her most memorable moments. Asked whether she needed the blonde wigs and extravagant clothes, she said they were a choice: she simply did not want to look like everybody else. When people made fun of her appearance, she understood the joke. She also knew, as she pointed out in one interview, precisely what she was doing.

Her look carried a story from childhood. Dolly recalled seeing a woman in her mountain town with blonde hair, red lipstick and striking makeup. Her mother disapproved, but young Dolly saw beauty and glamour. Years later, she built a stage presence so unmistakable that audiences could recognize her silhouette before she sang a note.

That talent for finding joy in an uncomfortable moment followed her everywhere. On Jimmy Fallon’s show, she led him through a long, alarming story about a bear, only to reveal a punchline that left him laughing. When an impersonator suggested she could do Dolly’s accent better than Dolly herself, Dolly played along before revealing who was speaking. She never seemed in a hurry to rescue an interviewer from an awkward question. She could turn it into a better story.

The jokes often reached back to the life she knew before fame. Dolly spoke about growing up with homemade toys and about the food her family ate when money was scarce. She repeated her mother’s wry line about making ham and eggs if only they had ham—and eggs. Those memories gave her humor its warmth. The woman dazzling a television studio had never forgotten the people who taught her how to laugh through hard times.

Her father offered another lesson when Dolly became especially proud of a bronze statue erected in her hometown. He told her that while fans might see an idol, pigeons would see it rather differently. She retold the story with affection. It brought one of country music’s most glamorous stars back to the family table, where someone loved her enough to tease her.

That may be why these clips still hold an audience. Dolly could fill a room with laughter, but she also let people glimpse the country girl beneath the sparkle: observant, resilient and deeply attached to where she came from. Every quick comeback carried a little of that history.

Which Dolly interview made you laugh first—and which story stayed with you afterward?

Video: