The Daily Show: Ears Edition - TDS Time Machine | Dolly Parton - The Interviews

Episode Date: September 2, 2026

Join us in celebrating the one and only Dolly Parton, an endlessly generous force of nature who spent decades making the world a little brighter, louder, and more fabulous. Here are three times she visited The Daily Show to discuss her work with Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah. -- Dose - New customers can save 35% on your first month of subscription by going to https://dosedaily.co/TDS or entering TDS at checkout. -- The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central. Stream full episodes on Paramount+ Follow TDS: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Comedy Central. My guest tonight, a legendary country singer currently on tour with her latest album. Those were the days. Please welcome Dolly Parton. They're very, very nice. It's so nice to meet you, and we're delighted to have you here. Well, thank you. We watch your show at home, and we have a lot of people that love you a lot.

So they couldn't believe I was going to be on the show. Dolly, I couldn't. I also couldn't believe you agreed to be on the show. Well, I was a little nervous. They said, I said, he's not going to get all political with me. They said, no, I don't think so. Can I tell you something, honestly, I'm just reading off the clock. Well, don't get, I don't know anything about it.

I'm about like George Bush. President. I don't know what to say. As far as I know, Eisenhower's president. I don't like to follow this sort of thing. But you know what is interesting about you. You transcend red, blue politics, any of that. Everyone, no one has anything bad to say about Dolly Parton.

Everybody loves Dolly Parton. What is the secret just kindness, goodness, or talent? Oh, I've just been around so long. I think people just kind of know me. And I'm sure there's a lot of people that know a lot of bad stuff about me, but we don't want to hear from them, do we? We have some fans out there. But actually, I've been in the business for a long, long time.

And I like people. I'm not a bit political, but I'm very patriotic. And that's kind of why I did some of these fun songs to kind of have a voice and all that's going on today, but not trying to make any big statements. But I'm just glad people like me, and it's kind of like an older sister or a favorite aunt or something like that, I think. I think that how people feel about you is not so sisterly and antish. You don't think so horny goats or something out there. If that's what you want to refer to them as, I think that's fine.

Now, Witcher, this is an album. It's called Dolly Parton. Those were the days. And you collaborated with a lot of interesting people on this. I did. These actually were favorite songs of mine from the 60s and 70s. And I decided to do them because I'd always love these songs. And right in the middle of recording, I thought, I wonder how many of the original artists or writers would be willing to sing on this.

So I started looking around and ask a bunch of them, like Judy Collins. You know, she sang on, we did both sides now. And Leanne Womack sang with her. And we even got Cat Stevens. Now, how did you get Kat Stevens? I mean, as far as I know, he is ungetable. Well, actually, he's been out of the business for the most part, certainly and out of this country. Yosef Islam?

Yosef Islam. As he goes by now. That's his stage name. Yeah. But I had always loved him, and I've recorded songs of his before. I did a song of his called Peace Train, and he had many years back sent me a fax in an email saying how proud he was of that. And I think he used the choir that I had used. used on his peace train on some things he did.

And then I wrote a song called Hello God that he had heard on an airplane. And he just faxed me saying it was a song that needed writing and it had touched him. And I know he's very involved in charities. So since I love his songs, I had recorded a song in this CD called Where Do the Children Play? And I thought, well, it's worth a chance.

So we sent an email and Steve Buckingham, who helped me round up a lot of these artists. We kind of collaborated. And he said, sure, I'll come play the guitar. So he did. And we sent it over there. He didn't come here to do it. But, you know, what?

The idea of you and Youssef Islam like blackberrying each other. Like this is, you're like, I'm eating. Then he was on a jet, so I get a blackberry. And then it's got so, I just. I know, but that's the way it is with riders. And that's the way it went down.

And so you got together. And a sweet man, a comfortable. Oh, he's a precious man. He's just, you know, he's got a lot of bad pressure lately, but I think he's out to try to save the world, not destroy it. Anybody turn it down, anybody say, Dally Martin? Yeah, Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan did that?

Yeah, I did. Well, actually, be fair to him. He wrote the song, and that's all he needed to do. But I didn't actually speak to him personally. I'd send a message to him because I wanted him to sing at least one line on the answer is blowing in the wind, at least that much. But I got the message back that he didn't want to do it. So I got Nickel Creek, this wonderful new group to sing on it.

So in a way, it worked out better because had I got Bob Dylan, I wouldn't have them. when they did such a beautiful job. If I may say this, your life force could have infused him with, I think it would have been good to him to just touch you. And it would have been, like, one of those things where he would touch you and all of a sudden all the like blood would have to go, whiz-z-z-z-z-z-h-h. Like I say, in all fairness, I didn't speak to him personally, so I don't know if he actually

even got the message from me. Oh, he got the message. Yeah. That's what I thought, so. I do love his songs as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got the message. But no, I said when I was going to do a whole album of his and I was going to do a whole album of his and

I was going to call it Dolly does Dylan. Those were the days. It's in the stores now. The Great Dolly Part. Navigating cholesterol wellness is a major reality for the average American today, but taking proactive care of the body should not feel like a daily chore. Many people delay addressing their health because they are hesitant to start traditional health care options that require taking capsules that they are uncomfortable taking indefinitely.

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with every day. New customers can save 35% on your first month of subscription by going to daily dose.com slash T-D-S or entering T-D-S at checkout. That's D-O-S-E-D-A-I-L-Y dot C-O-S-T-S for 35% off your first month's subscription. Welcome back to my guys tonight. Country music legend and actress, her new movie is called Joyful Noise. Well, I am who I am.

Maybe you were five procedures ago. Now you whoever you need to be to make everybody love you. Who did you so larger than life? Well, it pisses me off. You want to know what pisses me off? Not particularly. You are going to hear it. It is your whole earth.

You're bound fire. Reddict. Say, on righteousness. You can give us rats. If I've got a few little nips and tucks, God didn't make faster surgeons so they could start, but you could use a complete faith lick. I feel fine about myself.

Well, I don't see how you could, you're a fruitful heifer. You can talk to me. Let me say this. I don't say this to everybody. I've missed you. Well, thank you. You were on the show Wilde, and then I haven't seen you in a little while. I'm missing your personality.

It's just very, I guess the word would be vivacious. Is that what they would say? I don't know, but thank you. Everybody said they loved us together. Everybody. And I was excited about that. So I'm happy that you're bringing me back. So I talk about my stuff.

I make the calls or I send the letters. It's not what you would call, let's say, harassment. Tell me about this joyful noise. What is this is a movie about gospel? Well, it's all got all this great gospel music in it. And it's a story about a small town in Georgia that's fallen on hard times. And the economy is bad. So pure fiction.

It's just a picture. Exactly. So it's about this church that's always competed in competitions, but they can't afford to do it. So anyway, Christopherson, who plays my husband, he dies early on. He's the choir director. So I think that I should be able to take over the choir. Sure. And of course, Latifah, she's a great singer there, and the committee says she should do it.

So of course, the rub starts there, so we kind of fight all the way through. But it's about, and there's a lot of fun in it, a lot of laughs. It's a comedy as well as Hart and Soul. How many rolls? How many rolls did you throw at Queen Latifah? Actually, it took a day and a half to do that scene because it was a whole, it's a long scene, of course, a lot of food, throwing food. Right, right. But I probably 24 rolls for the time.

But I had a pretty good aim. I got to tell you, you got a tremendous arm. I thought it was excellent. Let me ask you this. She blocked a couple of them with the tray. How many times you pop her? I popped her a few times. I popped her a few times.

It was kind of funny because they wouldn't miss because when I go, because I'm used to playing guitar. I have a pretty good hand. I know. I used to play. When I was a kid, I used to play softballs, and I can hit a golf ball pretty good. So anything to do with your hands? So I was banging her pretty good, but she deserved it. No, she deserved every role I threw her.

Oh, I don't think anybody would think she doesn't deserve you throwing food at her. Now, listen to me. But she is in real life. Now, you are in stature, obviously, a legend in the business, but physically a smaller individual. Latifah is, if I may, also a legend. in the industry, but a larger, was there ever a, was there physical fighting? Yes. She gets me in a chokehold.

Okay. And I'm this tiny little thing down here. I'll call us Biggie Small from that world. Nice reference. Nice reference. But anyway, we do at the end, when they sum up this whole thing, she really has me in a chokeholds. And she's got me, she could have hurt me bad if she'd wanted to. But she didn't.

But she's great. She is big. She's, what, what, 5, 9, 5, 10? And I'm just, yes. That is bad. I'd like to say to you, yeah, that's not much, but I look at that and think, oh, God, if only. But she's great. I love her.

Her heart is fun. It's great. You guys had fun, don't it. Yeah, we had a great time, and the music is spectacular. It's a Warner Bros. film. You heard some of these. I wrote three of the main songs in it, and I had a chance to, you know, to sing all the great stuff that I hadn't had a chance to. They brought music.

You're starting gospel. Is that something that you had gone? Yes, well, gospel. Well, I was brought up in the church, Pentecost, the Holy Roller. Sure. We just congregations. We didn't have, like, a choir. But everybody was singing and shouting and praying the Lord and all that.

We Jews are like that except with complaining. We all get together and do that like, oh, my back, oh, it's unbelievable. Well, what's funny about this whole thing, it's very Christian. It's all about Jesus and all these wonderful gospel choirs. But it was written by a Jew. Todd Graf, who wrote and directed at it. It's what we do. Yeah, I know.

But he did a great job. He did a wonderful, he really got, you know. Do you, were you able to harken back to your days in, in gospel? Was that just, you know, where you got the love of the music and where it all came together for you? Yes. My grandpa was a preacher and a great singer, great musician. My mother's people were all very musical, mostly in the church and around in the community. But I wanted to make a business out of it. But I still, to this day, because that's where I learned to sing

in church. We always went to church. And I still have a feeling singing gospel music that I don't get in anything else. I love the sense. And this may be an absolute sort of stereotypical picture that I have my head of it, of these communities and these communities. families gathered together and everybody's got the music and they're all sitting around on a Saturday night and just going around. So I used to look at that and maybe romanticize it, that feeling of, I don't know, just that talent but also with family and doing it together. Is that made up in my head or that's a real? That's exactly what we used to do, especially my family and my

brothers and sisters, we all used to sing and we used to go around and sing at all the funerals, all the weddings, all the square dances, anywhere there was music in the community and certainly around our house. And on Sundays, you know, we'd get up in church, too, and do all that special singing. We'd play our guitars and all the instruments, and it was great. So exactly what you have in your mind is how I did grow up with a family of 12 children, just country people and the church and the music was what kept us going. Yeah. After school, what I would do is come home, and there's a key that was put under a carpet, and then I'd go in and heat myself up some SpaghettiOs, so it's very...

Well, we would have prayed for you. We will keep you in our prayers. You're a lovely woman. It's so great to see you again. Come back and see us. Thank you. You're going to do a big musical. You're going to come back and see us.

I am. Anytime I get to us to help you, I'll come back and go see the movie. It's great. It's called Joyful Noise. Beautiful. And it's fun. This theater's on Friday.

Joyful Noise. Dolly Parton, everybody. My guests tonight are legendary singer-songwriter, Dolly Parton, and best-selling author James Patterson. They're here to discuss the novel that they've co-written about the country. country music industry and the album Dolly wrote to go with it. James Patterson, Dolly Parton, welcome to The Daily Show.

Well, hello, Trevor, how are you? I'm, I could not be in a better place because you realize I am talking to two of the most successful people in the fields that they do anything in. I mean, James Patterson, you've written books that have gone around the world. I mean, hundreds of millions of people have consumed them. Dolly Parton, we're familiar with your music. I grew up listening to it with my mom, like, would be driving around and I, like, forksvach and Beatles singing to your songs with Kenny Rogers, and I would, like, sing your part.

My mom would do Kenny Rogers. It's, it's a... I'm sure you do her part now, Trevor. You can't sing Dolly Pardon, too Dolly Pardon, James. Don't put me on the spot. Run Rose Run, it's not dark, but it's thrilling. I mean, it's a really different sides of the music industry than I think what a lot of people would have expected. You know, James, I maybe would have expected something like this from you,

but Dolly Parton, what made you think, you know what? I'm going to show you guys maybe another world in music that you might not be familiar with. And yes, it's fiction, but at the same time, it touches on some of the themes that people have encountered in music. Well, it does. And like I said, I knew all about the business. And I've never written a novel before. I've written children's books. So I know what it's like to kind of write.

But I had often thought I'd like to write a novel when I was older. And so when James presented me with this, I thought, yes. Why would James Patterson even be searching me out? And I thought, why? He don't need me. Look at what all he's done. But it made complete sense when he told me what the book was going to be about. And I knew I really could.

Because, you know, I mean, Dolly came out of the Hills of Tennessee, and I came out of sort of a similar situation in upstate New York. And the character in the book also, I mean, we were both kind of million to one shots. And the character in the book is a million to one shots. He's very talented, Annie Lee Keys. But that doesn't mean you're going to make it. But also, her story, everybody has a story. when they come to town.

Everybody's got to pass their childhood and how they grew up. And everybody's story is different. Everybody's life is a soap opera. And so it's really about her story. She was running to something. She loved the music, but she was running from something.

So I knew that I could write great songs like all the bad people in town, like snakes in the grass, about the bad managers and things, the guys that we, because I've experienced a lot of that myself. You know, when we met, So I go back home.

And two days later, I had some notes for Dolly to react. She sent me notes on the outline, and she sent me the lyrics for seven songs. Well, I got right on. I had said to him, I said, now, look, I'm not the kind of person. But if we're going to work together, I'm not going to just put my name on a book. You know, if you put my name if I don't really work. And I thought, how am I going to contribute the most to it? And then one day I thought, well, I write songs.

and I know these stories. And I would love to write a book, I mean, an album about these situations and the characters in the movie. So it just seemed to fall so natural, and it just really helped us both, I think. So it was just such a magical thing. It worked very quickly.

It was kind of like a TV show where every week we would have another episode or another two or three chapters to mess around with. And I really enjoyed it because it just seemed to work so well together. I'd say with the best thing of all, we really become really good friends. You know, from my birthday, she's saying happy birthday

and me over the telephone. I mean, that's all of it. It was. It was great. That's everything. The book is already a success in your world just because of that. Actually, James, from your side, you worked with President

Bill Clinton writing a book together. Now, you're a successful author on your own. I mean, this is what you do. You're one of the most beloved authors around the world. But now, when you're writing with somebody who has their own point of view, who has their own fan base, has their own style. I'd love to know how you find a way to meld those two worlds, you know,

and the second part of that question is, what were the biggest differences between writing with Dolly Parton and Bill Clinton? Well, the biggest difference between Dolly, dolly's a much better singer and Bill's a better sax player, I think. Oh, that's right. You play the sax? He did play the sax. Unless he plays the sax. You know, they were both great to work with, and they're both friends. I mean, it's really, that's the most precious thing to me about both of the. relationships. But the authenticity that built, the president brought, and then the authenticity

that we worked on in terms of run, run, and no egos. There was never any bumps in the road, ever, not one, no bumps. But I think people are... Except that she says, I can't sing. I don't like that. Well, you can't sing and let's just move on from there. But I know that for a fact, but he can't write. But I really think people are enjoying this book or going to enjoy it, Because I think, like you said earlier, they love to see the inside and the stories of these people. You know, some of the stories behind the scenes. What Nashville is kind of like, kind of gives them an insight into the business end of it, not just the entertainment side. You know, James, last we spoke, we talked about your family foundation and how, you know, you have scholarships and how you get books out to kids and just people who want to read.

And it's really important to you. Dolly, I didn't know why you got into it. I've always known you as a philanthropist. I've always known you as somebody who loves giving back and, you know, loves getting kids reading and loves donating books. But I didn't know why you got it. Is it true that your father couldn't read?

And so you said, you know what, not only is this important to me, but I think it should be important to everybody to be literate. I absolutely started the imagination library because of my father, who I loved to death. And he seemed to always be embarrassed and kind of almost crippled, you know,

that he couldn't read. And he thought he couldn't read after he was grown. But my daddy was so smart and so good. And I just, one day I just thought, you know, I'm going to start something where children can learn to read when they're in their young days. That's when they're most impressionable. And I wanted to get my daddy involved with me in it.

So my daddy, I took him with me. He helped with, you know, with all the little things. And he just loved to hear the kids call me the book lady. And I'd say, this is my dad. And, of course, I didn't say anything about that, but he couldn't read and write at the time. But anyhow, he got to live long enough to see the imagination library doing so good, and he was so proud. And so I have to honestly say, that's one of the most proud things that I have ever.

I'm proudest of that, I mean, as anything I have ever done in my whole career. That is so good. And because of the kids. That is so beautiful. I mean, I'm sure he's proud of you. I'm sure, you know, and I'm glad that he got to see it, as you say, in his lifetime. People have been eternally grateful to your organization for this. You know, I remember as a kid, you know, one of the biggest things that changed.

my life was my mom spent the little money that she had to get me books which changed my life forever. I was actually surprised to see that, you know, in, I think it was a Kentucky state legislator who said they don't want some of the books that you were offering because they didn't think it was appropriate for young kids. What do you think some people miss in and around, you know, what kids can or cannot read or how we process what we're reading? Well, I would never in a million years begin to think that I would choose those books. I don't shoot, we have a whole committee of people that choose the books that are made. of parents and all different people.

So I would never be so bold as to think I knew what other people's kids should read. But it goes through a whole committee. And so we do the best we can. And I'll let people, you know, buy that out. So I just want to be there for the kids. I mean, somebody's always going to be. They're from birth to five. I mean, how hard can it be?

They're not going to be reading going with the wind. You know, so anyway, we'll let people figure that one out. But we do have other people that choose, they choose the books, not me. James, are you going to try your hand at songwriting? Is this bug going to rubble for you on your side now? No. The answer is no. But when I was down here at Vanderbilt, you can't help yourself.

So I did when I was down here, I did try to write some songs. It wasn't a good idea. What do you think is actually harder? Honestly, do you think it's harder to write a novel or do you think it's harder to write a song for you specifically? Well, for me, no, for me, I can't, no, because I can't write country songs or any other kinds of songs. But I bet you could. I mean, you're a writer. Yeah, maybe.

I don't think so. The novel thing, I kind of have a groove on it now. Yeah, I believe so. Yeah, and all kinds of now, because I do the kid stuff and then nonfiction. And, you know, so we're, you know, I know what I can do and what I can't do. Let's put it that way. Dolly, on your side, you've said, and, you know, it's crazy that you have wishes that haven't been fulfilled in life yet, but I know one of your wishes is you've said that you wish

that Beyonce would cover Jolene. There are over 400 renditions of Jolene, multiple different languages, people have done it. And you said you specifically want to do it. And you said you specifically want Beyonce to do that. Are there any updates? Is there, like, do you know of this happening, you know, and why Beyonce? No, that's even more important. I don't know if she's even got the message, but wouldn't that be killer?

I think she's fantastic and beautiful and I love her music. I would just love to hear Jolene done in just a big way, kind of like how Whitney did my, I would always love you, just someone that can take my little songs and make them like powerhouses. So that would be a marvelous day in my life. If she ever does, do Jolene. Dolly, one last thing. You famously donated a million dollars for the research that went into helping us get the vaccine for COVID-19.

How is it that you've always been on the right side of history? You know, you've said amazing things during the civil rights movement, you know, when many people were far behind, you've said amazing things like, you know, about equality, about women's rights. You've said amazing things now in and around the vaccines. Like, what is the magic of Dolly Parton that you were always on the right side? of history? I just love people. I think we're all God's children. I make no difference in that. I always try to find the God light and everybody. I always keep my ear and eye trained on what's going

on. And I saw right away that that pandemic was going to be awful. I just sensed it. And I thought, well, what can I do to maybe help a little bit? So I donated the money to the research. And I'm happy I did. I got a lot more credit than I deserve, but I am very proud of whatever effect that I had on that going on because it's still going on, but I just kind of be aware and want to help when I can. I think when you get in a position to help, you should. And, you know, the other thing is, you know, Dolly does what Dolly does, but having been around her now for a year and a half, she is the smartest person I've ever dealt with. Oh, please. That's a piece of it. Well, thank you both for the compliments. James Patterson, Dolly Parton. Thank you for your partnership,

and thank you so much for taking the time and joining us on the day. daily show. And we just love you. You have a lot of fans too. You've just got that God glow and I love it. So keep up what you're doing. Thank you very much. There are a few moments in life that I think my mom would actually like consider as me making it. Interviewing Dolly Parton is one of them. Like of all the things in life. That is it. I'm going to go back to her and be like, huh, this now? And she'd be like, oh, you did one thing. Well done. James, really wonderful seeing you again. Congratulations, guys. It's a fantastic book.

Thank you. Thank you so much. That's fair question. Thank you so much, Darlie. Great meeting you. Say hi to your mom for me. I will do. I will do, definitely.

Personally. Sending it right to her. Okay. I'm going to clip this and send it to her. All right. Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching The Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts.

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