Turns out once you become famous, you don't always have complete control over your life anymore. Now, those who are handling your career get to call the shots — including your personal life. That is what happened when music execs decided that one friendship could jeopardize Dolly Parton's career.
Videos by Wide Open Country
What Was The Friendship Execs Feared Would Jeopardize Dolly Parton's Career?
When you become famous you end up having a lot of "friends." However the truest of friends are the ones that stood by your side from the very beginning, even before the fame and fortunate. Luckily for Dolly Parton, she had one of those friends. Parton was friends with a woman name Judy Ogle since childhood. Their decades long friendship came with many ups and downs but it was apparent that these women were like two peas in a pod.
While that seems like it would be a good thing, some found it to be troubling. After Parton made it big, her friend Ogle came to work with her. MSN shares an excerpt of Parton's memoir. "Judy came to work with me as my assistant, my valet, hairdresser, makeup artist, everything she needed to be." Sounds like the best friend to have, however rumors began to circulate.
The pair were so close that many began to suspect that they were involved in a romantic relationship. Like CheatSheet says, "In the 1970s, rumors of this nature could have negatively impacted Parton's career." So eventually, Parton had to fire her best friend.
A Friendship That Survives It All
Luckily, not even being fired could come between this dynamic duo. In her book Dolly: My Life And Other Unfinished Business the singer speaks about her relationship with her best friend. She writes, "They say that in order to have a friend, you have to be one. No truer words were ever spoken. Judy and I have given a lot, and we have taken a lot. We have had our problems, our ups and downs, but the love has always been great enough to overcome."
Additionally, MSN shared quotes from an interview that Parton had with Pride Source in 2014. In this interview she spoke out about the rumors against her and Ogle. She dismissed all rumors of a romantic relationship with her long-time friend, claiming they were all just gossip. "I am not gay," she said, "but if I were I would be the first one running out of the closet."
Insane to think that a good partnering and friendship had to change because music execs said it would jeopardize Dolly Parton's career. Happy to see that both her friendship and career survived.
