The post Dolly Parton Turned Down Being a Judge on American Idol: “I Just Can’t Hurt People” appeared first on Consequence.
ou’ll probably never see Dolly Parton serve as a judge on “American Idol” or a coach on “The Voice.” According to the legendary country singer, she’s been asked to join both shows, but has no desire to do either.
Dolly Parton Turned Down ‘American Idol’ & ‘The Voice’ Offers For a Good Reason
Parton has graced both singing competition shows in the past, but in more limited roles. She was a guest mentor on “American Idol” season 7 in 2008, when the top 9 contestants performed her songs. And she’s been a guest mentor on “The Voice” twice — in season 9 in 2015 and in season 11 in 2016.
The country star has received offers to join both shows in a more permanent capacity, but says she has no interest. It really boils down to her kind spirit, as she explained it would be “too hard” to deliver criticism to the contestants.
In a May 2025 interview with E! News, Parton explained, “I’ve been asked to do that a lot of times. It’s too hard for me. That’s why I don’t accept it, because I know how sincere everybody is.”
The singer added, “Even if they’re not that good, they believe they are. And I just can’t hurt people.”
Dolly Parton Celebrates a Big Dollywood Anniversary — 40 Years!
Parton is also too busy to join “American Idol” or “The Voice” full-time. In addition to performing, she’s currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of her Dollywood theme park.
The singer recalled her initial concern that people wouldn’t come to Dollywood when the park first opened. It seems she had nothing to worry about, however.
Parton shared, “I thought, ‘Well, what if they don’t? What am I going to do?’ Then, I started seeing cars coming in, and I remember how exciting that feeling was when the parking lot filled up. Now it’s filling up all the time. And 40 years later, we’ve got them still coming.”
She continued, “I’m just very proud of all of it, because I’ve seen it grow. It’s like having a house full of kids. Every time something new goes in, it’s like, ‘Oh, we got a new baby, we got a new kid in the family.’”
Parton added, “But it’s an amazing park and it’s catered to families. And so we’re proud of that. I think I’m as proud of that as anything, that people want to come back.”
