Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton.Photo: Vijat Mohindra/NBC
Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus share a special bond.
Aside from being two of the most successful singers in the music industry, they also share a familial connection: Parton is Cyrus' godmother.
Over the years, the two have given several glimpses of their tight-knit relationship, both on screen and stage.
When Cyrus starred on Disney Channel’sHannah Montana,Parton made several guest appearances on the showas Miley Stewart’s Aunt Dolly. Additionally, Cyrus has joined Parton for a handful ofshowstopping performances. She even enlisted Parton to feature on herYounger Nowalbum on the track “Rainbowland.”
From their cutest photos together to all the sweet things they’ve said about each other, take a look back at Parton and Cyrus' best moments.
Sept. 29, 2006: Dolly Parton appears onHannah Montanawith Miley Cyrus
Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection
In 2006, Parton made a cameo on Cyrus' Disney Channel seriesHannah Montanain the season 1 episode titled “Good Golly, Miss Dolly.” Opposite Cyrus' Miley Stewart, Parton played the character’s Aunt Dolly.
Joel Warren/Disney Channel via Getty
July 3, 2010: Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus perform ‘Jolene’ together
For Parton’s Hallmark special,Dolly Celebrates 25 Years of Dollywood, Cyrus made a special appearance as she performed “Jolene” with her godmother on stage.
The performance marked the first of many times Cyrus would cover the iconic song, including duringher 2012 “Backyard Sessions” series.
November 2013: Miley Cyrus calls Dolly Parton her ‘role model’
During an appearance on a German television show, Cyrus opened up abouther relationship with Parton, noting that the musician “has always been my role model,” and adding, “she’s a legend and unlike anyone I’ve ever seen before.”
Nov. 29, 2016: Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus perform onThe Voicetogether
Tyler Golden/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
In 2016, the two joined musical forces again asthey performed “Jolene” onThe Voicealongside a cappella group Pentatonix, whorecorded a cover of the trackwith Parton that September.
August 2017: Miley Cyrus talks about having Dolly Parton as her godmother
In her cover story forCosmopolitan’s September issue,Cyrus opened up about Parton, joking that the best part of having her as her godmother was “having access to her closet.”
She went on: “Seriously, watching the way she treats people with love and respect [is] always a reminder to me and my family of what is important. Never let success change your heart.”
September 29, 2017: Miley Cyrus features Dolly Parton on herYounger Nowalbum
As Cyrus released her albumYounger Now, she enlisted her godmother for the track “Rainbowland.” In addition to featuring Parton’s backup vocals, the song also began with a voicemail message Parton sent to Cyrus.
Oct. 5, 2017: Miley Cyrus channels Dolly Parton onThe Tonight Show
During a 2017 appearance onThe Tonight Show, Cyrus paid tribute to her godmother as she and host Jimmy Fallondressed up Parton and Kenny Rogersfor a performance of “Islands in the Stream.”
Feb. 8, 2019: Miley Cyrus honors Dolly Parton at MusiCares Person of the Year event
Kevin Mazur/Getty
“I love Miley,” Parton told PEOPLE. “We’ve done a lot of things togetherand it wouldn’t be right for me to be honored on a big deal like this and not have my Miley.”
In addition to walking the red carpet with Parton, Cyrus also paid tribute to Parton in song, joining Shawn Mendes and producer Mark Ronson for a rendition of “Islands in the Stream.”
Feb. 10, 2019: Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus perform at the Grammys together
A few days later, Parton was honored again duringa special tribute performanceat the 2019Grammy Awards. In addition to featuring artists such as Kacey Musgraves andKaty Perry, the tribute also featured Cyrus as she sang “Jolene” with Parton on stage.
Oct. 2, 2020: Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus collaborate onA Holly Dolly Christmas
As Parton released her holiday album,A Holly Dolly Christmas, she enlisted a handful of big names to contribute to the album, including Michael Bublé, Willie Nelson, and Cyrus.
During the singer’s appearance onThe Graham Norton Show, Cyrus revealed thather godmother actually sent her a faxover the summer asking to collaborate on her holiday album.
“Dolly reached out about doing a Christmas record with her, and only for Dolly Parton do you sing a Christmas carol in July,” she said. “But she makes physical records and so she had to get it turned in. I was singing about Christmas in the middle of L.A. summer, and only for Dolly.”
Dec. 10, 2020: Miley Cyrus honors Dolly Parton at Billboard Women in Music event
Cyrus made a special appearance during theBillboard Women in Music event broadcastas she honored Parton, calling the singer her “very precious fairy godmother, not only to me but admirers from all around the world.”
“I’ve never met anyone that doesn’t like Dolly Parton,” Cyrus continued. “And it’s safe to say if they don’t like her, it’s only because they love her. As themost honored and revered female country singer-songwriterof all time, Dolly Parton has influenced music beyond her own genre. Achieving 25 gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards, Dolly has had 26 songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard country charts — a record for any female artist.”
The star went on to note that her “Aunt Dolly” has “10Grammy Awardsunder her customized bedazzled belt” and “has paved the way for other women songwriters, encouraging them to take ownership and get the credit that they deserve — an issue many women in the songwriting industry still struggle with today.”
“WhenElvis [Presley]sought to recordDolly’s ‘I Will Always Love You,‘Dolly famously said no, keeping control of her song that Elvis wanted half of the publishing royalties to,” Cyrus pointed out. In conclusion, she said, “Slay all day, Dolly.”
Sept. 15, 2021: Miley Cyrus praises Dolly Parton inTime’s 100 Most Influential People of 2021
AsPartonwas listedonTime’s100 Most Influential People of 2021,Cyrus wrote her profile, calling Parton the “definition of humanitarian.”
“Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t love Dolly Parton? I never have,” Cyrus wrote. “Dolly is not only my idol because of her incomparable career — she’s also my role model because of her steadfast morals and values. At her core, she is the definition of a humanitarian.”
“People look to Dolly for guidance, and she knows that. She wears that responsibility with the same grace and pride she rocks a two-piece Nudie suit,” she wrote. “She recognizes how impactful her choices will be as one of the most iconic and powerful voices in country music, and she leaves no one behind.”
“She’s even better than your sparkliest dreams. She may be my fairy godmother, but I think she’s that to everyone else too. I am happy to share her with the world,” Cyrus wrote.
February 2022: Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton team up for T-Mobile Super Bowl Commercials
The duo teamed up fora pair of Super Bowl commercialspromoting T-Mobile’s 5G network as part of the company’s “#DoItForThePhones” campaign.
“I can’t think of a better duo to help us spread awareness of this pressing issue than godmother-goddaughter icons Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus,” Mike Sievert, CEO at T-Mobile, saidin a press release. “Because not only are they amazingly talented, they tell it like it is.”
As thanks for their efforts, T-Mobile is donating $250,000 to Cyrus’ Happy Hippie Foundation, which funds programs supporting homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable populations.
Nov. 21, 2022: Miley Cyrus announces Dolly Parton will cohost her New Year’s Eve Special
Vijat Mohindra/NBC via Getty
Nov. 23, 2022: Dolly Parton celebrates Miley Cyrus’ 30th birthday
In honor ofCyrus' 30th birthday,Parton penned a special tributeon social media. “Happy birthday @MileyCyrus!” Parton wrote in the Instagram caption alongside a promotional image of them for their New Year’s Eve special. “I can’t wait to celebrate with you and ring in the new year!! ❤️.”
Dec. 1, 2022: Miley Cyrus appears onDolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas
Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty
After announcing Parton as her NYE cohost, Cyrus appeared onthe singer’sMountain Magic Christmasspecialin December, which also included appearances from Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus and Jimmie Allen.
Dec. 31, 2022: Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton co-host New Year’s Eve special
NBC
As they closed out 2022, Cyrus and Parton joined forces for the second annualMiley’s New Year’s Eve Party. In addition torocking matching outfitsand doing fun sketches together, the two alsoshared the stage for a number of performances, including a moving mashup of Cyrus' “Wrecking Ball” and Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”
source: people.com
