Dolly Parton Loses Dolly Lookalike Contest—and She Couldn’t Be Happier About It

You’d think no one could out-Dolly Dolly Parton herself. But according to the country legend, that’s exactly what happened one unforgettable Halloween night in Los Angeles—and yes, she still laughs about it today.

In a recent appearance on the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show (May 22), the iconic singer-songwriter opened up about a hilarious and almost-too-good-to-be-true moment from her past: she once lost a Dolly Parton lookalike contest… as herself.

When Dolly Isn’t “Dolly Enough”

The story, which has floated around as a rumor for years, was confirmed by Dolly with her signature humor and charm. As she explained, it all began when her hairdresser convinced her to join a local Halloween event on Santa Monica Boulevard—famous for its fabulous drag scene and larger-than-life costumes.

“My little gay hairdresser at the time said, ‘Let’s go down, they’re giving free drinks to contestants,’” Dolly recalled. “So I went full-on Dolly—bigger hair, bigger beauty mark, everything exaggerated.”

But when she walked on stage, the applause was… underwhelming.

“I traipsed across, thinking I looked fabulous, and nobody clapped—except maybe my hairdresser,” she said, chuckling. “We just died laughing. I always tell people: I entered a Dolly lookalike contest and lost.”

A Queen Among Queens

Far from being offended, Dolly absolutely loves the drag queens who impersonate her. In fact, she sees it as one of the highest compliments.

“I get a kick out of those drag queens,” she told Elvis Duran. “They’re already six feet tall—and then they put on the heels! But I say, ‘I don’t care what they’re draggin’, as long as they drag it to my show!’”

It’s this kind of self-deprecating wit and warmth that keeps Dolly not just relevant, but beloved across generations.

Behind the Wig: Casting the Real Dolly

These days, Dolly isn’t just laughing at impersonators—she’s helping cast them.

As her Broadway-bound production, Dolly: An Original Musical, continues its preview run in Nashville, Dolly revealed the intense process behind finding performers to play her at different stages of her life.

“We flew 48 people to New York for auditions,” she said. “We needed a little Dolly, a middle Dolly, and the older Dolly who narrates the show. It wasn’t easy.”

Though deeply involved in the production, Dolly chose to keep the show in Nashville so she could remain close to her ailing husband, Carl Dean. “Nashville’s my second home,” she said. “It felt right to premiere it here.”

Seeing Herself Through Others

When asked how it feels to watch people portray her on stage, Dolly didn’t sugarcoat it.

“It’s very bizarre. And emotional,” she admitted. “It just takes you on a journey—seeing your life unfold like that, played by different people. But the women we cast? They’re just wonderful.”

From losing a lookalike contest to producing a musical about her life, Dolly Parton continues to remind the world that no one embodies Dolly quite like she does—even when the crowd doesn’t recognize her.

And maybe that’s the most Dolly thing of all.