Taylor Swift Honors Dolly Parton at MTV VMAs 2026
Swift dedicated her Video of the Year award to the late country music icon, citing her influential storytelling and enduring legacy.
Taylor Swift paid tribute to the "ultimate showgirl" Dolly Parton at the MTV VMAs 2026 on Sunday night. While accepting the Video of the Year award for "Fate of Ophelia," the pop star dedicated the honor to the person she said "without whom this wouldn't be happening."
"Every single song that she wrote, her storytelling was so vivid and so rich," Swift said of Parton. "Listening to her songs, it’s like watching the best music video you have ever seen in your life, every single time you hear what she’s written."
Swift also highlighted the "grace and joy and love and gratitude" that Parton embodied throughout her career. Parton died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80.
"Everything that happened in her life … she channeled back into love and gratitude and appreciation for her fans," the 36-year-old continued. "I am lucky I got to be one of them, and I will always be one of them. I think that we were all very lucky to share this planet with Dolly Parton for a time."
Parton, who kept her health struggles private, was also honored at the VMAs with Kacey Musgraves' performance of "I Will Always Love You."
Swift had previously written a tribute to Parton after her death, stating, "A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right. But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one."
Swift described Parton's "softest heart" and "backbone of steel," adding, "She managed to give the world the ultimate mystery and fantasy in some corners of her life, but to give full transparency in the ways that counted."
Parton had spoken highly of Swift before her passing, telling E! News in a 2024 interview, "I’m just crazy about Taylor. I just admire her so much for what she’s done with her life. Her career. Such a great artist and songwriter."
Swift had a notable evening at the VMAs, receiving the inaugural Artist Director Honors award and becoming the most awarded artist in VMAs history. She also debuted her music video for "Patient Zero."