CNN the family offered Dolly Parton an apology after he mistakenly showed viewers a photo of an impersonator from the Las Vegas area instead of the actual country music legend Tuesday night.
The blunder happened about seven minutes into Laura Coates Live, about 12 hours after Parton’s family announced her death.
Viewers were graced with a series of slides as Coates and senior correspondent Shimon Prokupecz tried to honor the late singer.
Coates continued, “I want to get started on it right away [Shimon]the one in Nashville where fans pay their respects to the queen of the country.”
Five images of Parton followed, while Prokupecz praised her career.
The sixth image, however, was by renowned tribute artist Kelly Vohnn.
In a statement to the Daily Mail on Thursday, CNN acknowledged the confusion.
“We regret the error and apologize to the Parton family,” the spokesperson said.
CNN showed viewers of Laura Coates Live Tuesday night a photo of Las Vegas Dolly Parton impersonator Kelly Vohnn instead of the country legend himself. The segment aired half a day after Parton’s relatives confirmed she had died after a battle with cancer
The real Parton is pictured at an event in her hometown of Nashville last year. CNN has since apologized in a statement
Vohnn told me in the meantime The New York Post on Thursday: “Someone at CNN really messed up and didn’t do their research.”
“I started getting all these texts from friends saying I was on CNN, and I couldn’t believe it,” Vohnn added.
“I was already heartbroken when I lost Dolly because of how much she gave to me as a woman and an artist.
“But to see these images of me on the screen was just weird,” she said.
The photo in question was taken on December 16 at a film screening in Vegas, according to Getty Images, the photo agency that published the photo.
Vohnn, meanwhile, spoke to Vegas Fox affiliate KVVU-TV for a report on Parton just hours before her surprise CNN cameo.
“We just lost a very, very, very wonderful human being, one of the most wonderful human beings on the planet,” Vohnn told the station.
The 58-year-old has played Parton and other stars like Reba McEntire for more than 26 years.
The image of the Vegas singer was shown during a series of slides during a report by Nashville Senior Correspondent Shimon Prokupecz. The others actually showed Parton
The Vegas singer shared the Las Vegas Review-Journal after the mistake went viral: ‘I couldn’t believe it. I just didn’t want the family to think I was trying to make fun of anyone.”
She added, “Every time someone comes to watch my show, I make sure they know I’m an impersonator. In the marketing of all my shows I make it clear that it is me performing as Dolly.’
She wrote told The Dollywood Foundation on Instagram: “I want everyone at @dollyfoundationdonation to know that I did not give anyone my likeness to be used in any way to trick people into thinking I am the real Dolly Parton.
“This has happened a few times now and it’s not okay. I do not own these images.’
She added: “We need reporters to do better due diligence when broadcasting to prevent #fakenews.”
Other characters Vohnn has played over the years include Faith Hill, Shania Twain and Patsy Cline.
The Review-Journal reported that she started crying while sharing her thoughts on whether she will ever don her Parton persona again.
“She represented hope in this chaotic world,” an emotional Vohnn reportedly said, as he vowed to “continue to carry the torch and send love to her fans.”
Vohnn — a Las Vegas resident who has played Parton and other stars for more than two decades — took to Instagram Thursday afternoon to blast CNN for spreading “fake news”
CNN host Audie Cornish recently issued an apology to viewers for quoting a fake congressional post on social media while discussing Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell’s health during a July edition of CNN This Morning.
In March, NewsNight’s Abby Phillip offered one herself after incorrectly telling viewers the suspected ISIS-inspired attack near the home of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani this weekend he specifically targeted him.
In reality, suspects Emir Balat (18) and Ibrahim Kayumi (19) threw explosives at far-right demonstrators who had gathered to protest against Mamdani.
