Dolly Parton Says Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter Wasn’t Shut Out by CMAs

Beyoncé‘s fans were furious when Cowboy Carter didn’t receive any Country Music Association Award nominations — but Dolly Parton doesn’t think it was an intentional snub.

“Well, you never know. There’s so many wonderful country artists that I guess, probably, the country music field, they probably thought, ‘Well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that,’” Parton, 78, told Variety in an interview published on Tuesday, September 17.

Parton admitted she initially “didn’t even realize” that Beyoncé, 43, didn’t get any recognition for the album, which features a cover of Parton’s iconic song “Jolene.”

“But it was a wonderful album. She can be very, very proud of, and I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that that was good,” Parton continued. “So I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like, doing that on purpose.”

The country singer said she could understand the thought process behind the lack of recognition, adding, “I think it was just more of what the country charts and the country artists were doing, that do that all the time, not just a specialty album.”

Despite the CMAs controversy, Parton had nothing but praise for Beyoncé.

“‘Jolene’ was in Beyoncé’s [album], and I thought that was a great album,” she said. “She’s a country girl in Texas and Louisiana, so she grew up with that base.”

Nominations for the 2024 CMA Awards were announced earlier this month, and while Morgan Wallen came out on top with seven nominations, fans were shocked by Cowboy Carter receiving zero. Beyoncé has not yet addressed the topic, but her father, Mathew Knowles, had plenty to say.

“There’s more white people in America and unfortunately they don’t vote based on ability and achievements,” he explained to TMZ on September 9. “It’s still sometimes a white and Black thing.”

Knowles, 72, said the snub “speaks for itself,” adding, “In America, there’s no accountability for people not being accepting of other cultures.”

When Cowboy Carter was released in March, Beyoncé reflected on her experience entering the country music genre as a Black woman.

“I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart,” she wrote via Instagram . “That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.”