Intro for August 27, 2026

Dear Gossips,

Yesterday in this space I referred to Dolly Parton in the present tense, because it seems impossible that Dolly would ever leave. And in many ways, she won’t. Dolly wasn’t exaggerating when she told PEOPLE in a statement last Friday that she was still working and that she still had goals she wanted to achieve.

Dolly’s manager, Danny Nozell, with whom she collaborated for over 20 years, said yesterday that Dolly “handpicked” a team that has over “the past several years” been building a “project roadmap that will guide us for decades to come”. As Danny elaborates:

“Many projects were in various stages of development, and we want to be transparent with her fans about this fact. If you see unreleased music, products, books, experiences and campaigns launched through official Dolly Parton channels, you can have confidence in knowing that she placed her personal stamp on it.”

The Hollywood Reporter has a long – and I mean LONG – list of those projects. Like three paragraphs worth!

“Projects in the pipeline include a Dolly avatar show, a Dolly Musical documentary, a Dolly biopic, a Dolly docuseries, a Dolly scripted series, a Billy the Kid animated series and more to be revealed at a later date.

Other active projects with release dates for this year include: Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stops (celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week beginning Sept. 13, 2026); Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel (stays begin Sept. 14, 2026; grand opening Sept. 29, 2026); Dolly Dolls (launching online Sept. 15, 2026); Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum (grand opening Sept. 29, 2026); Dolly’s Cup of Ambition Coffee (launching online Sept. 29, 2026; retail launch spring 2027) and Dolly on the Holly (coming holiday 2026).

Meanwhile, previews for DOLLY: A True Original Musical on Broadway begin Dec. 7, 2026 with opening night on Jan. 19, 2027. (Tickets are currently on sale through Nov. 21, 2027). Next year, there will also be a Kendra Scott x Dolly — The 9 to 5 Collection (launching January 2027); Dolly’s Dog Treats (coming early 2027) and Dolly Bedding & Home Decor (coming Q3 2027).”

If we’re talking about roadmaps, maybe one of the roadmaps here is Elvis Presley and the way his estate managed his legacy after he died. Elvis made more money for other people when he was alive and the same is true in death, and most of the time he had no idea. That’s the difference where Dolly is concerned. Dolly appears to be in full control, with significant involvement in her brand expansion even though she’s passed on, because Dolly always handled her business. We’ve known this for decades, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. Dolly’s entrepreneurialism has been well-documented. Which is why this too feels authentic and organic. Who could possibly be surprised that Dolly Parton took ownership, literally, of her image in perpetuity? It’s not like any of this came out of nowhere. She’s been telling us for years that we’ll be hearing from her for years.

There will be new albums. And in 20 years, on her 100^th birthday, anyone who’s around at that time will be able to hear “My Place in History”, the song she recorded and locked in a chestnut box at Dollywood, not to be opened until January 2046. The song is on a CD and it’s been stored alongside a CD player because, well, she thinks of everything.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey