Elle King Says She's 'F–king Hammered' on the Grand Ole Opry Show
Elle King's drunken performance at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, January 19 is sparking outrage among country music fans.
According to social media footage from the event, King, 34, slurred her words and shouted “fk” several times during her set, which was part of the venue's tribute to Dolly Parton in honor of her 78th birthday, and openly stated that she was drunk.
“You're not getting your money back,” King joked after a heckler yelled at her. “I'll tell you one more thing: 'Hello, my name is Elle King [and] I'm f-king hammered. ''
The fans in attendance were immediately shocked and called out King for shouting obscenities during the family-friendly “Opry Goes Dolly” show at The Ryman in Nashville. (Ashley Monroe, Tigirlily gold and Dailey & Vincent were also part of the lineup.)
Sometimes America's sweethearts turn sour. From Morgan Wallen to The Chicks, country music's biggest names have been at the center of some major controversies. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer found themselves in hot water in the early 2000s after sharing their personal politics on a public stage. During the performance about the […]
“Elle King ruined the evening with her horrible, drunken and profane performance. Dolly Parton would have been mortified,” one social media user wrote on Saturday, January 20, via X. “For our first time at The Opry, it was a shame we all had to witness that.”
Another wrote via TikTok: “Elle King had no respect for the Ryman and Dolly Parton.”
The Opry subsequently issued an apology on King's behalf. “We deeply regret and apologize for the language used during last night's second Opry performance,” read a note on the iconic venue's official X page.
King has not publicly expressed the outrage on social media. We weekly has requested comment.
King has been open about struggling with substance abuse, but has insisted she can keep her drinking under control.
“I really like drinking and singing. I don't want to get as drunk as I used to,” King told the BBC San Diego Union-Tribune in February 2022. “It's easier for me to say, 'Yes, I want to drink and party and [then] get on stage.” I get nervous before I go on stage, [so] I have a few drinks [first]. Drinking makes me less nervous when I touch the notes when I sing. If I don't make them, it won't sting as much.”
King rose to fame in 2012 with the release of her self-titled EP. Since then, she has released three studio albums and has been nominated for four Grammy Awards. Her best-known single, “Ex's & Oh's,” was released in 2015 and earned two of her four Grammy nods. King's most recent album, Come get your wifewas released in 2023 and marked her foray into country music.
“If anyone asked, 'Why would Elle King make a country record?' Well, I said, 'Okay, I'll tell you. Just start with the first song,” she said Land now in March 2023. “So that's why I wrote [the song] 'Ohio' because I share where I'm from, what I love about country music and it's also my love letter.
She added at the time, “I've heard other artists say, 'Country music changed my life,' and country music changed me. What happened when I started singing in these country arenas or little clubs or singing on country radio [that] I felt comfortable. And that's something I've never felt before [before]. So when I started the recording process, my walls had already fallen.
Elle is the daughter of an actor Rob Schneider and model London king.
“It's sweet now because you don't want to be a famous person's child and I'm just so happy that I'm at this point in my life [people saying,] 'Are you Elle King's father?'” Schneider, 60, previously said We weekly in May 2018. “I'm just really happy for her that she's really in a good place creatively that she's just happy about.”
Elle shares son Lucky, 2, with Then Tooker.