A 1977 interview between Barbara Walters and Dolly Parton has resurfaced online, drawing criticism of Walters' interview style. Social media users are calling the late ABC News journalist a "vile elitist" and "condescending" for her line of questioning towards Parton.
During the ABC News segment, Walters appeared to infer that Parton, who was raised in a log cabin in rural Tennessee, was a "hillbilly." Walters asked Parton, "Dolly, where I come from, would I have called you a hillbilly?" and "When I think of hillbillies, am I thinking of your kind of people?"
Walters also questioned Parton's appearance, inquiring about her physical development at a young age and gesturing towards her chest. She asked if Parton "look[ed] like this when you were a kid?" and commented, "When you were 11, 12, 13, was there this about you?"
Walters further commented on Parton's style, suggesting, "You don't have to look like this. You're very beautiful. You don't have to wear the blonde wigs, you don't have to wear the extreme clothes."
Parton responded calmly, explaining that she wasn't trying to be fashionable and that she was "real where it counts, on the inside." When Walters asked if Parton felt like a joke or if people made fun of her, Parton replied, "I know exactly what I'm doing and I can change it at any time. I make more jokes about myself than anybody because I'm sure of myself as a person. I am sure of my talent and I'm sure of my love for life. I'm very content. I like the kind of person that I am."
Netizens have praised Parton's handling of the interview, with many noting her wit and intelligence in response to what they perceived as Walters' condescending tone. One social media user wrote, "Barbara thought she was talking to a hillbilly but in reality Dolly was so much more intelligent than her, not only in IQ but wit and manners, as perfectly displayed here."
Another commented, "I really don’t understand how Barbara Walters made it as far as she did she's so unbelievably condescending in every interview."
The resurfaced interview comes in the wake of Parton's death at the age of 80. She passed away after being admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with autoimmune and kidney problems. The country music icon had a career spanning six decades, known for hits such as "Jolene" and "9 to 5."