Dolly Parton Shuts Down Rumors About Secretly Dating Best Friend

Dolly Parton - Joyful Noise

Dolly Parton doesn't need to prove anything to anybody. The country singer-songwriter-actress-producer-businesswoman-philanthropist has excelled in numerous ways throughout the past few decades, and her wealth of success only continues to shine. But she continued to become the subject of dating rumors related to her best friend, Judy Ogle. Rumor has it, Ogle is actually Dolly's partner, and Parton is not actually romantically intertwined with her husband of more than 50 years, Carl Dean. But Dolly Parton is claiming those ongoing media reports about her sexuality are simply not true. During a recent interview, Parton again tried to put the rumors to rest, saying there's no real validity to this perpetual piece of gossip directed her way.

Well, people love to talk, people love to gossip. They’ve said that about Oprah but it’s not true. So people say that -- because you can’t really have a great relationship with a woman. I’m not gay but I have so many gay friends and I accept everybody who they are.

Dolly Parton's latest response to these dating rumors came up in an expansive and personal interview with The Sun. These rumors have long been a source of frustration for the musician, according to the publication, as they continue to sprout up even when Parton tries to take them down. But she has nothing but great admiration and continued support for all her fans and friends who are LGBT.

The legendary singer just has a very intimate, non-romantic relationship with her best friend, according to her own admission. And Dolly Parton says it's hard for women to have such close bonds without rumors spinning. Parton and Judy Ogle have been best friends for 64 years, and they have a close-knit bond that only comes for several decades spent together. But Parton continues to insist that the relationship is simply platonic in nature, and while she calls Judy her "girlfriend," they are not actually romantic.

As Dolly Parton said in the statement found above, she has been outspokenly supportive of the LGBT community and she has been vocal about loving everyone for who they are and who they wish to be. If these rumors held any truth, they would certainly come as a surprise to her many fans that she would be holding back on such a personal piece of information, particularly in 2019. But Dolly Parton claims this story is simply "gossip" and not true.

This is certainly not the first time these rumors regarding Dolly Parton's sexuality and relationship with Judy Ogle have been discussed by the singer. Parton released a similar statement six years earlier when the topic was brought up, and her response then echoes her thoughts on the matter now.

We still just have a great friendship and relationship and I love her as much as I love anybody in the whole world, but we're not romantically involved.

And there is a chance that, no matter what Dolly Parton says about the matter, she will continue to battle these rumors -- whether she wants to or not. It can be hard to be a celebrity at times. In any case, this interview provided Parton with yet another opportunity to dismiss these allegations about her.

Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.