Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks were just announced as the hosts of this year’s 2023 ACM Awards. The show will mark the first time Brooks ever hosted an awards show, but that’s not what intimidates him the most. Instead, it’s sharing a stage with his fellow Country Music Hall of Fame member that scares him more than anything.
“Just sitting here, I’m nervous as hell,” Brooks admits to Billboard. “And I don’t know why that is because she’s never been anything but sweet to me, never been anything but treated me as an equal, though I’m not. It’s that thing when someone has done something that freaking cool, you just become a fan.”
“Well, it’s because I’ve been around forever,” Parton quips.
All kidding aside, it was the chance for Brooks to work with Parton, especially for the ACM Awards, which made the Oklahoma native eager to take on the role.
“When you think about my career, I don’t want to pick favorites, but some of our biggest nights have been at the ACMs,” Brooks says. “The fact that they would even ask is flattering, and the fact that I get to host with Ms. Parton is unbelievable. The surprise of the night is you’re gonna see this beautiful woman carry this 260-pound ass all night.”
Parton, of course, is no stranger to hosting live televised shows, including awards ceremonies. She hosted the ACM Awards by herself in 2000, and shared the duties with Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett last year. She also joined Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood in hosting the CMA Awards in 2019. The 77-year-old has learned some tricks over the years, and feels confident that her talents will pair well with Brooks.
Let’s get this party started!!!!! I’m hosting the @ACMawards show this year with THE @DollyParton! Join us May 11 on @PrimeVideo, we’re bringing all of our friends in low places with us for this one!!!! love, g #ACMawards pic.twitter.com/iR6jpnY46V
— Garth Brooks (@garthbrooks) March 29, 2023
“We’re both pretty good at ad-libbing,” Parton says. “Garth’s more serious-minded than me. I just talk off the top of my head. But we’ll have a lot of fun together.”
“I like being a goofball too, but the truth is, comedy is the hardest way to make a living,” Brooks adds. “If you think you can just write comedy and it be funny, it usually isn’t. So my thing is, I feel more comfortable if we just stay on the class side and let her do her thing. … I watch awards shows and what do I want? Let me see the performances and don’t take a long time telling me who’s gonna win, because I want to hear what the winners will have to say.”
For Parton, the secret to the success of hosting any awards show is to not lean so heavily on a script that they can’t enjoy spontaneous moments of humor as well.
“There’s always things that just happen usually on live shows,” Parton reflects. “Sometimes your best comedy are things that might even happen with someone in the audience or something is said and you just pick up on it. We’re country people; most of the artists are kind of like people we grew up with, so you play off of that, and it’s usually entertaining. Whether it’s funny or not, it’s usually entertaining.”
Both Brooks and Parton want to give both the artists and viewers an enjoyable evening. But more than that, the two hope they can carry on an important legacy within country music.
“All I hope that we do as a pair is represent [country music] well. I mean, you’ve got your foundation and what you’re looking for here,” Brooks says, gesturing to Parton. “You’ve got talent and class. Let’s represent country music the best that we can.”
“I told him to say all that, and that I’d say something good about him if he would say something good about me,” she saus with a laugh, adding that she is also grateful to team up with Brooks.
“We are excited about this because we’ve always wanted to do something together,” Parton maintains. “We’ve always admired each other musically and as people and how we handle our business. So this is a great thrill for me. I think the fans are going to enjoy seeing us together, ‘cause Lord knows he’s got fans and I got a few.”
The 2023 ACM Awards will take place on Thursday, May 11 at 8:00 PM ET, streaming live on Amazon Prime Video, from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.