The widespread debate on ‘cancel culture’ appears to be rolling on, with country star Dolly Parton this week having her say on the tricky topic.
Whilst some believe that holding wrong-doers to account for their actions is paramount, others believe that society is too quick to judge celebrities for their mistakes.
Kid Rock, 52 – real name Robert James Ritchie – has faced severe backlash in the past for his controversial political views, much of which doesn’t align with Dolly’s own ‘brand’.
But speaking to The Hollywood Reporter ahead of her eagerly-anticipated November release, the ‘Jolene’ hitmaker defended her choice to work with him.
“Of course I did [the song] before the controversy that he had, but somebody was talking to me the other day, ‘How could you do this [song] with Kid?’,” she explained.
“I said, ‘Hey, just because I love you don’t mean I don’t love Kid Rock. Just because I love Kid Rock don’t mean I don’t love you’. I don’t condemn or criticize. I just accept and love.”
‘All Summer Long’ singer Kid Rock’s has been in the headlines on countless occasions for his controversial views.
Dolly herself is a full supporter of the transgender community, revealing in the interview that she has members of it within the realms of her own family.
“I have some of everybody in my own immediate family and in my circle of employees,” she said. “I’ve got transgender people. I’ve got gays. I’ve got lesbians. I’ve got drunks. I’ve got drug addicts — all within my own family. I know and love them all, and I do not judge.”
But continuing to defend the questionable collaboration with Kid Rock, she admitted: “Like I said, I had done that before, but I’d have probably still done it, because he is a gifted guy, and that song was about a bad boy; it was about a boy that was cheating and mistreating her.
“But like I say, I love everybody. I don’t criticize, nor I don’t condone nor condemn. I just accept them. But anyhow, just because I love you don’t mean I don’t love Kid Rock in that God way.”
She later went on to dub cancel culture as ‘terrible’, adding that ‘we all make mistakes’.
“We don’t all get caught at it,” Dolly went on. “But also when somebody makes a mistake, it depends on who they are. That’s what God is there for.
“Now, I happen to believe in God; I’m a faith-based person, so therefore I am able to see it like that. A lot of people don’t, but even still, everybody deserves a second chance. You deserve to be innocent until you’re proven guilty.”
She continued: “Even when you’re proven guilty, if God can forgive you, so can I. If God can forgive you, we all should forgive one another.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence contact Mindline Trans+ on 0300 330 5468. The line is open 8pm–midnight Mondays and Fridays and is run by trans volunteers.