As a genre-transcending country superstar, actor and businesswoman, Dolly Parton‘s gotten to meet all kinds of different people over the course of her life. But she says there’s something special about the hosts of late-night talk shows — and in particular, Jimmy Fallon.
“Well, I have a crush on Jimmy Fallon…I think he is precious,” the singer reveals during a cover story interview with W Magazine. “He’s so funny. We get along so good.”
In 2020, Parton and Fallon collaborated on a version of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” for Parton’s album, A Holly Dolly Christmas. But prior to that, they knew each other from the set of Fallon’s talk show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where Parton was a guest.
“Sometimes you never know who you’re gonna connect with. I’ve always had good luck with late-night guys, you know? I always had a nice relationship with David Letterman and with Johnny Carson,” Parton goes on to explain. “I guess there’s something about late-night people that kinda hits my fancy and I hit theirs, somehow. I guess it’s ’cause you feel like you can be more free late at night. You don’t have to worry about what you say.”
As the object of Parton’s affections, Fallon is in good company. Her first-ever crush, the singer says, was on country legend Johnny Cash.
“I love boys. I still do. In the early days, I had a big crush on Johnny Cash,” she admits. “He was young and skinny, and he just had that magnetism. The way he moved around — you know, so sexy. I found out later he was just having withdrawals from drugs, but it still touched me. He was so, so sexy.”
After Parton admitted her crush, Jimmy Fallon told Kelly Clarkson during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show that he’d heard the news — and the feeling was mutual.
“I have a crush on Dolly Parton. Who doesn’t?!” Fallon said. “She has the whole package. She’s funny, she’s gorgeous, she can sing…she’s interesting. She’s interested. She is funny! She brings the jokes and she’s such a good [show] guest. She comes on and she has good stories and everyone laughs. She’s just a dream.”
Not only that, but she can laugh at herself, Fallon goes on to say, explaining that during one stop on his show, she let him try on one of her wigs.
“Did you take a picture?!” Clarkson asks.
“Of course I did! It’s framed in my dressing room,” Fallon responds. “Oh, she was cool with it! She was like, ‘Just put one on.’ I was like, ‘I’ll do anything with Dolly Parton.’…Yeah, I wore it around for a whole week.”
While Parton’s had a number of celebrity crushes over the course of her life, her biggest crush is her husband of over 50 years, Carl Dean. While Dean famously avoids the spotlight, Parton recently shared a throwback photo of herself and her lifelong crush on Instagram, captioning the post, “Find you a partner who will support you like my Carl Dean does!”
12 Rarely Seen Photos of Dolly Parton In the ’70s
These 12 rarely seen photos of Dolly Parton from the 1970s give you a look at what her life — and celebrity life in general — was like 40 to 50 years ago. There are a few country stars included in these pics, but mostly this list is filled with unexpected moments with other stars you’ll recognize.