NEWSDolly Parton Wrote Kathy Griffin a Letter Admitting She Was a Secret Fan: 'You Say the Stuff I’m Afraid To'
Kathy Griffin claimed that Dolly Parton wrote her the 'nicest letter' after declining a guest spot on her show.
Sept. 9 2026, Published 3:33 p.m. ET
Kathy Griffin revealed that Dolly Parton was a fan of her work and wrote her a personal letter after she declined a guest spot on her Emmy-winning show in the late 2000s.
"She couldn’t do it because I’m a little outrageous for her fans," Griffin, 65, admitted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly on Tuesday, September 8.
Dolly Parton Wrote Kathy Griffin The 'Nicest Letter'
Kathy Griffin recalled asking Dolly Parton to appear on her show 'My Life on the D-List.'
Griffin starred in the popular reality TV show My Life on the D-List, which offered a comedic look at her career as a "D-list" celebrity and aired on Bravo from 2005 to 2010.
Though the reality TV star admitted that she initially didn't want to "bother" Parton with the invite on her show, Griffin revealed the Tennessee native wrote her the "nicest letter" after, saying, "I wish I could do it. I watch it all the time. Keep doing your thing. You’re so good at what you do."
Dolly Parton Told Kathy Griffin 'Not to Back Down'
Kathy Griffin claimed that Dolly Parton urged her to 'give it all' to those 'phonies.'
During the interview, Griffin addressed a recent Threads post she shared following Parton's death that read, "In private, away from anyone, the great Dolly Parton told me not to back off. Not to back down. And to 'GIVE IT to all these phonies.'"
"Twice, she told me that! It was funny because both times she wanted to be alone, because she didn’t want somebody to hear Dolly Parton say, ‘Go for it, b----!’” Griffin told the outlet.
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Kathy Griffin Praised Dolly Parton
Kathy Griffin said that Dolly Parton praised her for saying things that she was 'afraid to say.'
Parton was reportedly a fan of Griffin's comedy, which often poked fun at celebrity behavior.
"She’d be like, 'You're just a funny b----. You say the stuff I’m afraid to say, but I want to hear you say it,'" Griffin continued. "Wow, that is the perfect human right there. People talk about her being the beacon of everything, and I saw it with my own eyes, having the opportunity to even talk with her about anything."
Dolly Parton Died at 80
Dolly Parton's rep confirmed that she died following a 'brief battle with cancer.'
As OK! previously reported, the Steel Magnolias star's death at 80 was announced by her nephew Bryan Seaver on August 25. Her rep later confirmed that she died after a "brief battle" with an undisclosed form of cancer.
The "Jolene" singer addressed concerns about her health in an interview just days before her death on August 20.
"I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl," she told People on August 21, referring to her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who died in March 2025 at age 82.
