'Going to lose half your audience': Dolly Parton explains why she's afraid of making political statements

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dolly Parton has maintained an apolitical stance throughout her career, claiming that she is afraid of alienating "half" of her fans by making a political statement. She asserts that politics is something she despises.

When asked why she had avoided politics for so long, Dolly told the Guardian, "Because you're going to lose half your audience."

Dolly Parton 'can't even go to a family dinner any more' 

She adds, "Even within my own family, especially the last few years since Trump and Biden, all that, it's like we can't even go to a family dinner any more. Especially if people are drinking - they get in a damn fight at the table."

The divisiveness of US politics worries Dolly. The '9 to 5' singer claims she doesn't mean to "insult" any of her followers. She said, "Don't get so trapped where if you're a Republican, you got to be this way, if you're Democrat, you got to be that way. You're not allowed to think nothing else. Well, how crippling is that?"

Dolly Parton can't 'insult' fans, be they  Democrats or Republicans 

She added, "I've got as many Democrats as I do Republicans as fans, and I'm not going to insult any of them because I care about all of them. I ain't that good a Christian to think that I am so good that I can judge people. That's God's job, not mine. So as far as politics, I hate politics. Hate politics."

Dolly insisted that she is open-minded about her own opinions

Dolly insisted that she is open-minded about her own opinions in spite of this. She said, "It's just that I see both sides of everything."

She added, "I think people can change their views on a lot of things if they would open their eyes wide enough, or be willing to accept, 'Well, maybe I'm wrong.'"

She continued, "But most people won't change their mind because it makes them look weak and it's like they have to stick with it. And that's just stupid to me."

Dolly Parton says she's trying to be a 'decent human being'

In these divisive times, Dolly Parton is considered America's  "great unifier". She can be all things to all people precisely because she hasn't stated her opinions publicly.

She says, "This is amazing to me how people look to me, that’s a big responsibility. There ain’t nobody that good. I’m not all that. I make a joke – I’m not even all there.” 

She adds, “I try to just be a decent human being, try to use love as my great tool and weapon. I try to leave my heart, my eyes, my ears open, and my mouth closed, when I know it’s not the right thing to be doing.”