Lizzo Reveals How Dolly Parton Supported Her During Backlash

Lizzo said Dolly Parton asked her to play flute when she felt the world had turned its back. Her Halloween tribute came with a thank-you for that support.

“In 2024 when the world turned its back on me Dolly Parton asked me to play flute on her album,” Lizzo wrote in an Instagram photo gallery.

She said she agreed, with one request: credit for her flute persona, Sasha Flute. Parton did, Lizzo said. Their work also earned a plaque. She thanked Parton for seeing good in people during hard times.

The gallery followed a video of Lizzo in a yellow floral outfit and blonde wig inspired by Parton’s “Jolene” look. One photo placed Lizzo and a guitar in front of the framed album plaque.

Lizzo placed the invitation in 2024 in her caption. Parton’s Rockstar had already arrived on November 17, 2023, according to her official release announcement. Its track list named both Lizzo and Sasha Flute on “Stairway To Heaven.” Parton announced the album had earned RIAA gold status on March 14, 2024.

Former employees filed two separate lawsuits in 2023 with claims of sexual harassment, a hostile work environment and weight-shaming. Lizzo disputed the allegations and fought the claims in court.

In September, AllHipHop reported that a judge dismissed the claims left in wardrobe worker Asha Daniels’ case against Lizzo’s touring company. Lizzo had already been dismissed personally from that case. Daniels’ attorney challenged how the judge weighed the evidence. That lawsuit was separate from the case brought by three former dancers.

Lizzo had also spoken about the toll on her life with Willie Geist at Books of Wonder in New York. She was there to discuss her children’s book. She described trying to live with a public version of herself that she could no longer control.

She told Geist she wanted more focus on the work she was proud of. That included a book about a young girl finding her confidence, drawn from Lizzo’s own life and her flute character.

“I had to make peace with the fact that there’s a version of Lizzo that exists now that the world controls,” she told Geist.