Dolly Parton Once Admitted Confronting Her Husband Over the Woman Who Inspired ‘Jolene’

Morning Honey Staff Sat, September 12, 2026 at 3:45 PM UTC

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Dolly Parton reveals the story behind Jolene (Image source: MBS/MEGA)

After Dolly Parton’s death at the age of 80 on Aug. 25, 2026, following a brief battle with cancer, one of her hit songs is resurfacing for its backstory. The 1973 song Jolene, which became one of her first hit singles, is regaining its popularity on social media after an interview with Parton went viral.

During a 2022 conversation with fans at ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, Parton opened up about her husband, Carl Dean, and Jolene. She admitted confronting Dean about the “beautiful red-headed, long-legged girl” who inspired Parton to write that song.

Dolly Parton Admits Confronting Her Husband About Jolene

According to the resurfaced clip from ACL Live,Dolly Parton opened up about the story behind her hit song, Jolene, and how she confronted her husband about the mystery woman who worked at a bank.

Parton admitted to speculating about her husband’s possible affair, as she noticed him going to the bank on numerous occasions. She realized it was perhaps to see the pretty teller who worked there.

“[Carl] kept going down to the bank, and I kept thinking, ‘Why is he spending so much time at the bank? I know we ain’t got that kind of money yet,’” Parton explained. One day, she decided to visit the bank.

As she walked through the door, the country singer saw her husband “sitting there at a desk with this beautiful red-headed, long-legged girl.” Parton then admitted to confronting Dean, “I didn’t know you were here. What are you doing in here?”

To which, her husband responded that he was there to get a loan to buy a roller for his asphalt paving business. “I said, ‘Oh, you are? Don’t you think you might have spoken to some of those hairy-legged boys about a roller for your asphalt paving company?” Parton confessed.

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“I said, ‘You better get to the house, or it’s going to be your ass and your fault.’ So I wrote the song, Jolene. Do you remember her?” The singer admitted confronting and even threatening her husband a little.

Parton Says ‘There’s Always A Jolene In Somebody’s Life’

Further, during a different interview with BBC’s The One Show, Dolly Parton opened up about how she embarrassed her beloved husband, Carl Dean, with her song, Jolene.

The couple met outside a laundromat on the first day that Parton arrived in Nashville, as an aspiring singer. Parton and Dean later got married and spent 60 years together, until he died in 2025.

During the 2023 interview, Parton admitted that her husband has been a notoriously private man. So when she wrote Jolene, he was “a little embarrassed.” The singer later admitted that it wasn’t a “serious” affair.

“Actually, it wasn’t as serious [as it sounds]. I was just jealous ’cause she was a beautiful woman and he was just flirting. So it gave me a great idea for a song. There’s always a Jolene in somebody’s life,” Parton confessed.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”