Dolly Parton Shoots Down Nickname: Michael Strahan Suggests Calling Her 'Double D'
Dolly Parton has heard it all through her decades-long career, but there's one thing she's heard too many times, and Michael Strahan brought it up during an interview.
Parton, 66, appeared on "Live with Kelly and Michael" on Wednesday to promote her new memoir, "Dream More." During the interview, Parton mentioned her honorary doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee, which she received in 2009 in humane and musical letters.
Since that degree makes her an official doctor, Strahan had a playful suggestion about what he could start calling Parton.
"So now you have your doctorate, do we call you Doctor Dolly, or Double D?" he asked. "That's an innocent question."
The audience gave a lively laugh at the joke, but Parton said she won't be going by that nickname any time soon. Not that Strahan's suggestion was the first time she's heard the moniker.
"It wasn't anything new to me, because I've been called that for years," Parton said.
Parton's media tour for her memoir also included an interview with "Nightline" this week. During that interview, the country music legend opened up about the lesbian rumors that have surrounded her and her best friend for years, and she added that she has discussed the speculation with someone who can understand it, her friend Oprah Winfrey.
"[Oprah and I] do talk about that," Parton said. "Gayle [King], her friend, Judy, my friend. They just think that you just can't be that close to somebody. Judy and I have been best friends since we were like in third and fourth grade. I mean, I love her as much as I love anybody in the whole world but we're not romantically involved."
After confirming that she is definitely heterosexual, Parton opened up about her support for the LGBT community. She even hosted an event called "Gay Day" at her Tennessee theme park Dollywood, an event that Parton said caught the attention of hateful, militant groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
"When it first started there were people giving us threats, I still get threats," she said. "But like I said, I'm in business. I just don't feel like I have to explain myself. I love everybody."
