Dolly Parton reveals she turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom TWICE from Trump’s administration due to COVID-19
Besides being one of music’s biggest superstars, Dolly Parton has also performed a great deal of philanthropy over the span of her nearly 60-year career.
And the singer-songwriter, 75, recently revealed that she turned down TWO opportunities to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Donald Trump’s administration.
‘I couldn’t accept it because my husband was ill and then they asked me again about it and I wouldn’t travel because of the COVID,’ explained Parton during a remote interview with TODAY.
Philanthropist: Besides being one of music’s biggest superstars, Dolly Parton has also performed a great deal of philanthropy over the span of her nearly 60-year career; Dolly pictured in 2018
Dolly said she has also heard from President Joe Biden and his administration about their potential plan to award her the nation’s highest civilian honor.
‘Now I feel like if I take it, I’ll be doing politics, so I’m not sure,’ admitted the star, adding that, at the end of the day, she does not do philanthropy ‘for those awards.’
‘But I don’t work for those awards. It’d be nice but I’m not sure that I even deserve it. But it’s a nice compliment for people to think that I might deserve it.’
Back in 1988, following the creation of the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Parton launched the Dollywood Foundation.
TWICE?! And the singer-songwriter, 75, recently revealed that she turned down TWO opportunities to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Donald Trump’s administration; Trump pictured on January 25
The non-profit organization first started out as a means of awarding scholarships to high school students, but has since evolved into much more.
Most notably, the Dollywood Foundation gave birth to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which is ‘a book gifting program which mails high-quality, free books to more than a million children around the world each month.’
According to TODAY, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has ‘donated ‘100 million children’s books in the past 26 years.’
Turned it down! ‘I couldn’t accept it because my husband was ill and then they asked me again about it and I wouldn’t travel because of the COVID,’ explained Parton during a remote interview with TODAY; Dolly and husband Carl Dean pictured in 2006
Say what: Parton’s lack of a Presidential Medal of Freedom has even raised former President Barack Obama’s eyebrows; Obama and actress Cicely Tyson in 2016
Just last year, Dolly personally ‘donated $1 million to help fund coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University, which helped make the Moderna vaccine.’
Parton’s lack of a Presidential Medal of Freedom has even raised former President Barack Obama’s eyebrows
During an appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert last year, the 59-year-old politician said he was ‘shocked’ to learn that Dolly had yet to receive the honor, calling it ‘a mistake.’
‘Actually, that was a screwup, I’m surprised. I think I assumed that she’d already got one and that was incorrect. I’m surprised, she deserves one,’ he continued.
Not for the awards: ‘But I don’t work for those awards. It’d be nice but I’m not sure that I even deserve it. But it’s a nice compliment for people to think that I might deserve it,’ said Dolly; Dolly pictured in 2018
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