Dolly Parton appeared on Khloé Kardashian's Khloé in Wonder Land podcast on July 10, 2025. The iconic singer discussed her creative process, what's next for her, and her faith.
During their conversation on faith, Parton told Khloé that she constantly asks God not to let her fall and allow her to give back to those who see good in her. She added that she was grounded in her faith and her belief because she asks "God to keep me humble."
"But that's why one of the reasons I stay very humble and ask God to keep me humble and to keep my, you know, all I could say my feet on a solid ground, but with these heels, but I'm still grounded even with these high heels. I'm still grounded in my faith and in my belief," Parton tlf
The singer-songwriter also mentioned that she believed in God but not in idol worship. Dolly Parton also shared the instance of when she "truly found God," stating that she isn't very religious but is bonded to God.
She recalled that there was an old, abandoned church house below her house, which was previously a church and had a piano as well. She added that while people often used the space to drink or engage in physical activities, the building still had Bible verses.
Dolly Parton said that she would often go to the church and feel a presence, adding that once while she was there, she had asked God to "show me, help me, save me" as she wanted to be ready. She recalled feeling peaceful and like she had "truly found God" for the first time in her life.
"So it was in that old abandoned church that I just praying to God the way that I was just saying well, just show me, you know, help me, save me, you know, cuz I want to be ready, right? So it was then that I just had this peaceful [feeling]vover me. And I just felt like that I had for the first time in my life had truly found God," she said.
Why did Dolly Parton refuse to let Elvis Presley re-record her iconic track? Singer spills all at Khloe Kardashian's podcast
At one point in the interview, Khloe Kardashian asked Dolly Parton if the story of her refusing to re-record I Will Always Love You was true, as Elvis Presley's management had asked for a massive royalty.
Confirming the same, Parton said that Elvis Presley loved the 1974 track. She added that the late singer's wife, Priscilla, recalled him singing it to her after their divorce.
Dolly Parton added that she had nothing to do with Elvis and that on her way to finalize things, his talent manager, Colonel Tom Parker, informed her that they wouldn't record anything with Elvis till they had publishing rights.
At that time, Dolly Parton had started her own publishing company, and I Will Always Love You was her "most important copyright." This led to her refusing to have Elvis Presley re-record the track.
"I remember crying so hard cuz I had told everybody that Elvis was going to sing the song and and all that. But I couldn't give it up because it was already like I say it had been a hit with me. It had been a big hit with me," Parton recalled
She mentioned that starting her own business at that time gave her a sense of claiming her work. The Jolene singer added that since that incident, she got back the songs that had publishing rights to her work by making deals with record labels so she could "have all my eggs back in the same basket."
Addressing how difficult it was to reject the idea of Elvis Presley recording her hit track, the singer said that it broke her heart. She noted that since she had just started her publishing company and her song "was the big one," she thought she couldn't do it, stating that it "was [the] heartbreaker."
"So that goes to show you though when you're in business there are some decisions that you have to make that might break your heart."
Dolly Parton also reflected on Whitney Houston's re-recording of I Will Always Love You in 1992, and that it got her "millions of dollars" on the song's publishing rights. According to Forbes' November 2020 report, Parton made $10 million in royalties from Whitney Houston and continues to profit off the same.
Dolly Parton's conversation with Khloe Kardashian also featured a confession from the singer stating that she had put songwriting on hold. She mentioned that it was a part of her grieving process, given that her husband, Carl Dean, passed away in March 2025.