While many of us are familiar with reaching “rock bottom,” most of us don’t hit that point under a national spotlight. Unfortunately for Elle King, that’s exactly what happened when she stepped onstage at the Grand Ole Opry in January 2024 for Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday celebration. The country-rock singer, 36, fumbled her rendition of Dolly’s 2001 hit “Marry Me” so spectacularly that the Opry issued a formal apology to fans afterwards. Now, King is taking a hard look at the nearly career-shattering incident 18 months later.
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Country Singer Describes “Rock Bottom” Following Viral Incident
On Jan. 19, 2024, Elle King wasn’t feeling much like a CMA Award-winning artist. The “Ex’s and Oh’s” singer was battling depression in the midst of a breakup, all while caring for a toddler. And to top it all off, she was running off no sleep and little food.
“I think… everything that had accumulated, everything that I had just, like, sucked on to my life, in my depression, all just kind of came to a head,” King recalled this week during an appearance on Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast. “I think it was probably just rock bottom, right? If it wasn’t that, it was going to be something else.”
As curtain call drew closer, she attempted to drown her crippling anxiety in martinis and tequila shots. Unfortunately, “one shot too many” led to a disaster on country music’s most hallowed stage. King flubbed the lyrics and cussed onstage, eventually admitting to being “f—ing hammered.”
[RELATED: Exclusive: Elle King Got Sober, Is Feeling God’s Rewards With New Song “High Road”]
“Boom — I come to and, like, the curtain’s down, and it sucks. It’s awful,” said the “America’s Sweetheart” singer.
Elle King Is Not Banned From the Grand Ole Opry
Predictably, the backlash was swift and brutal—but it was nothing compared to how Elle King felt in the immediate aftermath.
“I went home and I was like, ‘I never want to cry like that in a car ride home. I never want to wake up feeling like that ever again,’” she told Bunnie Xo.
Fortunately, Dolly Parton was far more willing to extend grace than the online masses. “Literally, she’s, like, proof of angels,” the ACM Award winner said.
In the 18 months since, King has committed to sobriety, reconciled with her partner, and given birth to her second child. And despite penning a tongue-in-cheek tune called “Banned From the Grand Ole Opry,” she confirmed to Bunnie Xo that this is not the case.
“I learned so much from this experience, and if I can come out of it, literally anyone can,” King said. “And I’ve had so many experiences like that. I hope I have less of them in the future.”
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
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