Dolly Parton Reveals Why Her Husband Refuses To Attend Events With Her

Dolly Parton has shared the reason why her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean, refuses to attend award shows with her.

While appearing on Monday’s episode of Bunnie XO’s “Dumb Blonde” podcast, the country musician, 78, recalled the time she “begged” her “homebody” hubby to go to an award show with her early on in their relationship.

But Parton said Dean abhorred the outing and was “so uncomfortable,” which led him to declare to her that he would never attend another show with her again.

“I begged him to go with me in ’67. We’d got married in ’66. So, that’s when I won the first award for the BMI song of the year,” she said, nodding to her tune “Put it Off Until Tomorrow.”

Recalling the A-list event they attended together, Parton revealed that Dean, 82, put his foot down as soon as they returned home.

“He said, ‘Look, now I want you to do everything you want to do, and I wish you the best, but don’t ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain’t going.’ And he never did,” she told host Bunnie.

“We just kinda have that respect, and I respected that because I didn’t know he was gonna be that uneasy, but he doesn’t even like to go out to, you know, to big dinners or anything like that,” Parton continued. “Even on anniversaries … we usually stay home and make something special.”

The “Jolene” singer explained that while Dean “loves music,” he’s “not the least bit interested in being [involved] in it.”

But according to Parton, their differences in personality have “worked well” for them during their lengthy marriage.

“He loved to go places, if we were gonna drive cross-country or if we had planned a thing,” the songwriter shared. “But, boy, he never could wait to get home.”

Parton added, “He wanted to be around home, and I’m a gypsy by nature. I just love to go and love to see what else is out there. But, I think … that’s worked well for us.”

Back in March, Parton revealed that spending time apart is the secret behind their long-lasting marriage.

“I’m just saying, anything new gets old. And I think if you just kind of stay together so much, you just nitpick every little thing and notice all that,” she told E! News at Dollywood’s “The Dolly Parton Experience” in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

“It’s worked for us because we both do different things and it’s exciting when we are together,” Parton added. “So the fact that there’s some little space makes it exciting when you go home.”

Watch a clip from Parton’s interview on the “Dumb Blonde” podcast below.