In addition to being the songbird of eastern Tennessee, country superstar Dolly Parton has always had a philanthropic side and even presidents have noticed!
The country’s queen, 75, said TODAY in an interview that former President Donald Trump’s administration tried twice to give her the country’s highest civilian tribute, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but she had to refuse it.
“I couldn’t accept it because my husband was sick and they asked me about it again and I didn’t want to travel because of COVID,” she explained, adding that since then she has also heard from President Joe Biden about the award. “Now I feel that if I accept it, I will be doing politics, so I’m not sure.”
“But I don’t work for these awards,” she continued. “It would be nice, but I’m not sure I deserve it. But it is a good compliment for people to think that I can deserve it.”
“I think everyone thinks you can deserve it,” TODAY’s Hoda Kotb reassured her.
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Since 1995, the “Jolene” singer has directed Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a literacy program that has donated more than 100 million children’s books over the past 26 years. In 2016, his Dollywood Foundation donated $ 1,000 a month to several hundred families in eastern Tennessee who lost their homes in forest fires.
She also donated $ 1 million to help fund coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University, which helped make the Modern vaccine.
“I am very happy that anything I do can help someone else, and when I donated the money to the COVID fund, I just wanted to do good,” she said TODAY last November. “Evidently, it is.”
In an interview last fall, former President Barack Obama said he should have given the singer the prestigious award.
“How come Dolly Parton doesn’t have a presidential medal for freedom?” Comedian Stephen Colbert asked Obama.
“This is a mistake. I am shocked,” replied the former president. “Actually, it was a mess, I’m surprised. I think I assumed she already had one and that was incorrect. I’m surprised, she deserves one.”
He added that he planned to “call Biden”, a promise that he apparently kept his word, as Parton said she had already heard of the current president – although his government did not take office until January 20.
During his presidency, Obama awarded the award to several musicians, including Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan and Barbra Streisand.
During his administration, Trump awarded only one musician the Presidential Medal of Freedom: the late Elvis Presley. Almost two weeks in his administration, Biden did not give any of the prizes.
Tune in TODAY on Tuesday for the full interview with Parton.
