Dolly Parton reveals why she still uses fax machines instead of texting

‘I don’t want to talk to everybody that wants to talk to me,’ Parton says

Dolly Parton has recently opened up about her old school way of life when it comes to technology and communication.

On Monday 27 November, the country music singer appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show, where she explained why she doesn’t text, and instead opts for outdated methods of communication such as using a fax machine. “I’m a low-tech girl in a high-tech world,” she said.

“I don’t want to talk to everybody that wants to talk to me. I don’t text ‘cause I don’t want to have to answer,” the 77-year-old actress told Barrymore. “If somebody calls me, I’ll answer it if I want to talk to ‘em or I’ll call ‘em back when I can. Otherwise, I’ve got too much to think about than to clutter my mind up with everything else.”

According to theJolene singer, texting isn’t an activity that would necessarily be too difficult for her to learn. Rather, she explained the decision is a personal preference.

“I’m certainly not a stupid person. I could learn it if I wanted to, but I’d rather just have my fax machine [and] call in my creative stuff to my crew,” Parton said. “And I’ve got the best crew in the world and I surround myself with great people, but I just don’t have time to just sit with my face in the phone all day.”

There appear to be no exceptions to this rule, as even her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus has previously mentioned that she also has to communicate with Parton via fax machine. “Every time I coordinate and kind of communicate with Dolly, it’s still through fax,” she said back in May 2022 while on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Cyrus explained that although the two of them do talk on the phone, it only happens “rarely”. “Well, we do use the phone, but she does a fax, and then someone scans the fax, and then they put it into a text message, and then that gets sent to me,” the Wrecking Ball singer said.

Recently, Parton performed during Thursday’s NFL game between the Washington Commanders and host Dallas Cowboys. For the Thanksgiving match, Parton took to the field to sing “Jolene”, “9 to 5” and her own rendition of “We Are The Champions” by Queen.

For the performance, the country singer decided to wear a modified version of a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfit.

Following her halftime show performance, fans immediately took to social media to share their thoughts on Parton’s memorable fashion moment.

“If there’s one thing we can count on in this world, it’s that Dolly is going to give iconic looks and performances until the moment she ascends to heaven,” one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

However, it didn’t take long for some online trolls to criticise her Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfit. In response, many people praised Parton for unapologetically dressing the way she wants - no matter her age.

“Dolly Parton is 77 and wearing whatever the hell she wants. I love her,” said one fan.

“Dolly Parton looks better at 77 than I have in my entire life,” someone else wrote.