Here’s Why Dolly Parton Turned Down Multiple Offers to Perform During the Super Bowl Halftime Show

For many artists, performing during the prestigious Super Bowl Halftime Show is the gig of a lifetime (heck, Jennifer Lopez and The Weeknd even made documentaries about the experience). But for Dolly Parton, queen of country music and performer extraordinaire? It’s an offer she actually opted to turn down on more than one occasion — and now we know why.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the singer opened up about her lack of interest in ever taking the Super Bowl’s illustrious stage. 

“Oh, sure. I’ve been offered that many times,” Parton told the publication about the halftime show. “I couldn't do it because of other things, or I just didn't think I was big enough to do it — to do that big of a production. When you think about those shows, those are big, big productions. I've never done anything with that big of a production. I don't know if I could have. I think at the time, that's what I was thinking.”

Dolly then added that she may be more inclined to headline the show after releasing her first-ever rock album, Rockstar, on Nov. 17, explaining, “It would make more sense. I might be able to do a production show.”

While Parton may be one of few artists of her significance to have never taken the halftime show’s stage, she’s in good company. Elsewhere in the interview, Taylor Swift — who has also yet to perform at the Super Bowl — raved about her relationship with Parton, calling the singer a “force of evolution.”

“Her sense of humor and mischief are easily my favorite things about her, because I think it forces the world to reconcile that a woman can be a serious artist and writer who also has raucous fun with it, can make people laugh and be in on every joke,” Swift told THR. “She’s never stopped challenging herself to clear new hurdles and explore new territory artistically, and I think that speaks to her great curiosity about the human condition. She’s a legendary empath and the storyteller for the ages. She’s also having the most fun doing it.”