Dolly Parton was there for Kelly Clarkson in a tough moment, the “Stronger” singer revealed on the latest episode of the Las Culturistas podcast posted Wednesday (Sept. 30).
While speaking about her memories of the Queen of Country — who died in August at age 80 following a brief cancer battle — Clarkson revealed that she first met Parton at “a Reba [McEntire] tribute, years and years ago.”
Related
The Dollywood founder became someone the American Idol alum “always ran into” after that, but Clarkson’s most treasured memory of the late icon came in 2022, when she was tasked with honoring Parton — who watched from the side of the stage — with a live rendition of “I Will Always Love You” at the ACM Awards. Just 30 minutes before going on, Clarkson said she learned her divorce from Brandon Blackstock had been finalized.
“I found out right before that performance,” she recalled, sharing how she ran into Parton backstage as she was getting ready to go out and shared with her what was going on. “She, kind of, caught me. I was like, ‘I’m sorry. It’s just kind of a wild moment for me.’ We just had this moment.”
Clarkson didn’t say what Parton told her in that moment, but she did emphasize that it helped her stay grounded at a time when her personal life was extremely difficult. It’s no secret that her relationship with Blackstock was tense, both in its final chapter and in the years that followed, with the pair engaging in a lengthy legal battle over alleged unpaid fees from Blackstock’s time as Clarkson’s manager, which they settled in 2024.
Blackstock died in 2025 at the age of 48 after battling cancer for three years. Clarkson has since departed from her Kelly Clarkson Show to have more time to spend with the two kids she shares with him, now that she’s their sole parent.
“She’s just one of those people you don’t have to know your whole life, but you can in one instance,” Clarkson added of Parton. “What she said backstage to me, it was just a really beautiful thing.”
Watch Clarkson’s full appearance on Las Culturistas below.