The controversy took place on Dolly Parton's birthday.
On Friday night (Jan. 19), the Grand Ole Opry celebrated Dolly Parton's 78th birthday with a stacked bill. Among the performers was Elle King, whose behavior while admittedly "f**king hammered" caused online criticism that led to an apology by the Opry.
"Elle King ruined the night with her horrible, drunk and profane performance," wrote one
The original poster followed up with a reply that further summed up their frustrations.
"It was such a disappointment to spend $300 on tickets for a show where one of the artists ruined an entire night," they wrote. "I mean it's the Opry, the greatest country venue in the world. That performance was like lackluster karaoke performer wasted out of their minds. Awful."
Clips from the night show King flubbing the lyrics to Parton's "Marry Me," substituting such lines as "I don't give a shi*t" and "I don't know the lyrics to these things in this f**king town... Don't tell Dolly 'cause it's her birthday."
Afterwards, King bantered with her dissatisfied audience, saying "You bought tickets to this s**t. You ain't getting your money back" and admitting to being "f**king hammered."
Others appearing on the bill included Ashley Monroe, Tigirlily Gold, Dailey & Vincent and Terri Clark. Lauren Alaina had to cancel due to icy conditions that impacted the Nashville area throughout the week.
