Elle King Acknowledges Being Intoxicated During Grand Ole Opry Performance, Venue Issues Apology

Elle King caused quite the furor among fans at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, when she appeared ‘hammered’ during a performance.

The 34-year-old singer performed at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry as part of a show honoring Dolly Parton on her 78th birthday.

King was seen slurring her words and saying the f-word multiple times during the set, before admitting on stage she was, ‘hammered.’ 

‘We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance,’ the venue said in an apologetic statement.

King has not publicly addressed the incident either in a statement or through social media quite yet. 

Elle King caused quite the furor among fans at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, when she appeared ‘hammered’ during a performance

The 34-year-old singer performed at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry as part of a show honoring Dolly Parton on her 78th birthday

After a fan started yelling at her, King openly declared she was drunk on stage, which didn’t sit well with fans.

‘You ain’t getting your money back. I’ll tell you one thing more: “Hi, my name is Elle King [and] I’m f***ing hammered,”‘ she said on stage. 

The Opry Goes Dolly show also featured Ashley Monroe, Tigirlily Gold and Dailey & Vincent, with fans blasting King on social media.

‘Elle King ruined the night with her horrible, drunk, and profane performance. Dolly Parton would’ve been mortified,’ a user wrote on X.

‘For our first time at The Opry, it was a shame we all had to witness that,’ the user added.

‘Elle King disrespected the Ryman and Dolly Parton,’ a TikTok user added on the social media platform.

While King has not addressed that performance, she has talked about her drinking in the past, insisting she can control it.

After a fan started yelling at her, King openly declared she was drunk on stage, which didn’t sit well with fans

‘You ain’t getting your money back. I’ll tell you one thing more: “Hi, my name is Elle King [and] I’m f***ing hammered,”‘ she said on stage

‘I really like to drink and sing. I don’t want to get as drunk as I used to,’ King said in a 2022 interview.

‘It’s easier for me to say: “Yeah, I want to drink and party and [then] go on stage.” I get nervous before I go on stage, [so] I have couple of drinks [first],’ she said.

‘Drinking makes me less nervous about hitting the notes when I sing. If I don’t make them, it won’t sting as much,’ she clarified. 

King released her third album – Come Get Your Wife – in 2023 and it’s unclear if she’s working on new music at this time.