CNN has been forced to apologize to the late Dolly Parton’s family after they completely botched a report about her.
Following Parton’s death on Tuesday, CNN’s “Laura Coates Live” showed a supposed photo of the celebrity. There was just one problem. The photo was, in fact, of Parton impersonator Kelly Vohnn, not Parton herself.
“The photo that aired during the segment was taken by Getty Images on Dec. 16, 2025, when the tribute artist attended a special screening of the ‘Song Sung Blue’ movie at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas,” USA Today noted.
Watch:
🚨 UPDATE: CNN was just forced to APOLOGIZE for using the wrong image of Dolly Parton after she passed away at 80 — NYP
CNN displayed this photo of a Dolly Parton impersonator, named Kelly Vohnn
pic.twitter.com/gcMXY0AEux— MAGA Girl (@magagirl00) August 27, 2026
CNN was soon forced to apologize.
“We regret the error and apologize to the Parton family,” a network spokesperson said in a statement to the media.
Vohnn has since spoken out about this mistake.
“I started getting all these texts in from friends saying that I was on CNN, and I couldn’t believe it,” she told the New York Post. “I was already heartbroken at losing Dolly because of how much she has given to me as a woman and an artist. But then to see these images of me on screen was just weird.”
Speaking separately with Las Vegas station KSNV, Vohnn explained what Parton had meant to her.
“Dolly Parton was huge inspiration in many areas,” Vohnn said. “As a woman, as an aging woman, as a musician, as a performer, entertainer, writer, she proved that you could do it all. To me, she’s the most extraordinary human in my lifetime.”
Vohnn also posted a video to Instagram demanding the media “do better due diligence.”
“The last few days have been devastating to myself and to millions of people around the world,” she said in the video. “But I do want to clear the air on a very, very important subject. It has been brought to my attention that news outlets are using my likeness once again and saying that I am Dolly Parton.”
“I want to say, in no way, shape or form, have I ever given permission to anyone to allow them to use my image and say that I am Dolly Parton. I would never fool people that way. I am an impersonator. People know that they’re buying tickets to see an impersonator, and I would never say that I’m Dolly Parton,” she added.
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CNN isn’t alone in screwing up its Parton coverage. The Washington Post, known by critics as the Washington Puke, has been facing backlash of its own for a horrendously fake take about Parton.
Parton suffered from endometriosis, a condition that can greatly hamper a woman’s fertility.
“More than four decades ago, Parton announced she had been diagnosed with endometriosis, a debilitating reproductive condition that causes tissues similar to those found in a woman’s uterus to grow elsewhere in the body,” according to the Daily Mail.
“This excess tissue causes excruciatingly painful periods, excess bleeding and, for up to half of those with the condition, infertility,” the Daily Mail reported.
Then in 1984, Parton underwent a partial hysterectomy to remove her uterus in a bid to reduce her endometriosis symptoms.
“[T]his meant she would never be able to become pregnant and have her own children,” the Daily Mail noted.
Yet to hear the Post tell it, Parton didn’t have children solely because she didn’t want them.
“Dolly Parton’s lack of children demonstrated that the world could in fact love a woman who wasn’t a mother,” the Post claimed in a tweet Wednesday. “But more importantly, she was proof that a person could be an advocate for children while personally choosing against parenting.”
Column: Dolly Parton’s lack of children demonstrated that the world could in fact love a woman who wasn’t a mother.
But more importantly, she was proof that a person could be an advocate for children while personally choosing against parenting. https://t.co/y37KSOj2cv
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 26, 2026
The tweet and accompanying story prompted a wave of backlash.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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