The late Barbara Walters is currently being eviscerated on social media for a “gross and inappropriate” interview she did with Dolly Parton.
The 1977 interview resurfaced after Parton’s shock death at the age of 80 on Tuesday.
During the now infamous ABC News segment, Walters suggested Parton was a “hillbilly” and a “joke,” questioned her plastic surgery and blonde bombshell looks, and seemed baffled by Parton’s marriage to Carl Dean.
After Parton revealed she grew up in a log cabin, Walters responded, “Dolly, where I’m from, would I have called you a hillbilly?”
The Boston-born journalist added, “When I think of hillbillies, do I think of your kind of people?”
Walters then turned her attention to Parton’s appearance and asked, “Dolly, did you look like this when you were little?”
The late Barbara Walters is currently being eviscerated on social media over a ‘crude and inappropriate’ interview she did with Dolly Parton in 1977
She then gestured to Parton’s chest and said, “When you were 11, 12, 13, there was this about you?’
Walters then asked Parton to stand up and show off her “curves,” before mockingly saying, “You don’t have to look like that.” You are very beautiful. You don’t have to wear blonde wigs, you don’t have to wear extreme clothing.’
Parton explained that she wasn’t trying to be fashionable and was “real where it counts, on the inside,” before calling show business “a money-making joke.”
Walters then responded, “But do you ever feel like you’re a joke? That people laugh at you?’
Without skipping a beat, Parton shot back, “Oh, I know they’re making fun of me, but actually all these years people have thought the joke was on me, but it was actually for the audience.”
She continued, “I know exactly what I’m doing and I can change it at any time. I joke about myself more than anyone else because I’m confident in myself as a person. I am sure of my talent and I am sure of my love for life. I am very satisfied. I like the kind of person I am.’
The interview resurfaced on social media shortly after Parton’s death, with netizens praising Parton for the way she handled Walters’ “condescending” questions.
“Barbara thought she was talking to a hillbilly, but in reality Dolly was so much more intelligent than her, not only in IQ but also in humor and manners, as perfectly captured here,” one fan wrote.
During the infamous ABC News interview, Walters concluded that Parton was a “hillbilly” and a “joke” and questioned her plastic surgery and her marriage.
The interview resurfaced on social media shortly after Parton’s death, with netizens praising Parton for the way she handled Walters’ “condescending” questions.
‘I really don’t understand how Barbara Walters managed to get this far. She is so incredibly condescending in every interview,” said another.
A third added: ‘Barbara Walters clearly came in on the losing side of this. What an incredibly rude snob she was.’
Another fan captioned the interview on Easily one of my favorite interviews of all time. Always class.’
The legendary country singer’s death was confirmed Tuesday in an Instagram video posted by her cousin Bryan Seaver, who also acted as her head of security.
She died Tuesday morning at the age of 80 after being admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Friday with autoimmune and kidney problems.
Parton’s loved ones began running to Nashville when they heard news of her hospitalization, but not everyone was able to reach her while she was still alive.
Often referred to as the Queen of Country, Parton enjoyed an illustrious music career that spanned six decades and was perhaps best known for her hits Jolene and 9 to 5.
Parton died Tuesday morning at the age of 80 after being admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Friday with autoimmune and kidney problems
Her death followed months of health problems that saw her withdraw from a series of public appearances, fueling fans’ fears for her well-being.
Family insiders indicated that a private service for close friends and associates will be held in Nashville in the coming days.
In an interview published just four days before her death, Parton had stated that she still had “so many things I want to accomplish” and vowed to “keep working as long as I can to see it all come to life,” via People.
She explained that she was struggling with “some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”
