After facing intense backlash for botched lyrics and swearing during a tribute to Dolly Parton at an iconic Nashville theater, Elle King on Thursday postponed a month’s worth of shows across Texas and the midwest.
The singer came under fire from fans after an expletive-riddled performance at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry meant to honor the legendary country singer Parton. In a rendition of Parton’s song “Marry Me,” King told the audience that she was “fucking hammered,” and riled them up by saying, “You bought tickets to this shit. You ain’t getting your money back.”
The debacle prompted the Grand Ole Opry to apologize for King’s behavior, although some upset fans said they wanted the singer herself to be held accountable.
King announced that this Friday’s show in Fort Worth, Texas, would be rescheduled for late September, and that four other scheduled February appearances in three midwest states would instead take place at the end of March. Fans with tickets to the postponed shows can still attend the new dates or get refunds if they choose not to. The move effectively clears King’s calendar for the entire month of February, with her next scheduled performance set for March 1 in Tempe, Arizona.
In the past, King has been honest about her struggles with sobriety and mental health.
“I get nervous before I go on stage, (so) I have couple of drinks (first),” she told the San Diego Union-Tribune last year. “Drinking makes me less nervous about hitting the notes when I sing. If I don’t make them, it won’t sting as much.”
The singer, who is the daughter of comedian Rob Schneider, has yet to make a public comment on the events at the Opry.