Elle King Says She Was Experiencing a 'High Level of Pain' at Drunken Opry Set: 'I Couldn't Go on Living My Life'

Mar. 15, 2025

Elle King at Stagecoach in April 2017 in Indio, California.Photo: David Crotty/Getty

Elle Kinghas opened up about the pain she was experiencing during herdrunken Grand Ole Opry performanceearlier this year.During an appearance onKaitlyn Bristowe’sOff the Vinepodcast, the country star, 35, reflected on what she was going through during her performance at the Ryman Auditorium in January where she was honoringDolly Partonfor her 78th birthday alongside musiciansAshley Monroe,Tigirlily Gold, Dailey & Vincent and Terri Clark.King told the host, 39, that she “went to a different type of therapeutic program” after the incident.“I was very sad, and nobody really knows what I was what I was going through behind closed doors,” she said. “And I just took that as, if it wasn’t this, it’s gonna be something else.“King continued: “I’ve had to heal and deal and go through things. And, someone said to me, I think you might find a silver lining or something good that comes out of your experience with that.“She says she’s found “more silver linings” since the incident and is “a different person.““Ultimately, like, I couldn’t go on living my life or even staying in the situation that I had been going through,” King told Bristowe. “I couldn’t continue to be existing in that high level of pain that I was going through at the time.“King also addressed her decision to wait to speak on the events of that night in January.“Iwaited to talk about everythinguntil I had better footing,” the “America’s Sweetheart” singer said.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Dolly Parton; Elle King.Jason Kempin/Getty Images for American Greetings; Hubert Vestil/GettyDuring her Ryman performance on Friday, Jan. 19, King could be seen having an exchange with audience members about refunds inseveral videosshared toTikTok.The “Ex’s & Oh’s” artist was also seemingly singing in gibberish — and delivered improvisational lines about her not knowing the lyrics to one of Parton’s hits, “Marry Me” — while she was admittedly impaired and told patrons she was “f—ing hammered.““I don’t know the lyrics to these things in this f—ing town,” King sang. “Don’t tell Dolly ‘cause it’s her birthday.“At the time, the Grand Ole Opry apologized to attendees and fan concerns on social media. A rep for King didn’t comment on the incident.If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

Elle Kinghas opened up about the pain she was experiencing during herdrunken Grand Ole Opry performanceearlier this year.

During an appearance onKaitlyn Bristowe’sOff the Vinepodcast, the country star, 35, reflected on what she was going through during her performance at the Ryman Auditorium in January where she was honoringDolly Partonfor her 78th birthday alongside musiciansAshley Monroe,Tigirlily Gold, Dailey & Vincent and Terri Clark.

King told the host, 39, that she “went to a different type of therapeutic program” after the incident.

“I was very sad, and nobody really knows what I was what I was going through behind closed doors,” she said. “And I just took that as, if it wasn’t this, it’s gonna be something else.”

King continued: “I’ve had to heal and deal and go through things. And, someone said to me, I think you might find a silver lining or something good that comes out of your experience with that.”

She says she’s found “more silver linings” since the incident and is “a different person.”

“Ultimately, like, I couldn’t go on living my life or even staying in the situation that I had been going through,” King told Bristowe. “I couldn’t continue to be existing in that high level of pain that I was going through at the time.”

King also addressed her decision to wait to speak on the events of that night in January.

“Iwaited to talk about everythinguntil I had better footing,” the “America’s Sweetheart” singer said.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Dolly Parton; Elle King.Jason Kempin/Getty Images for American Greetings; Hubert Vestil/Getty

Jason Kempin/Getty Images for American Greetings; Hubert Vestil/Getty

During her Ryman performance on Friday, Jan. 19, King could be seen having an exchange with audience members about refunds inseveral videosshared toTikTok.

The “Ex’s & Oh’s” artist was also seemingly singing in gibberish — and delivered improvisational lines about her not knowing the lyrics to one of Parton’s hits, “Marry Me” — while she was admittedly impaired and told patrons she was “f—ing hammered.”

“I don’t know the lyrics to these things in this f—ing town,” King sang. “Don’t tell Dolly ‘cause it’s her birthday.”

At the time, the Grand Ole Opry apologized to attendees and fan concerns on social media. A rep for King didn’t comment on the incident.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

source: people.com