Dolly Parton says husband warned her that viral Cowboys cheerleader outfit was ‘too short’

Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, wasn’t too sure about her now-viral Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfit.

The country superstar, who sported the classic outfit during a halftime performance at an NFL game in November 2023, says Dean questioned her on the length of the teeny shorts.

“He did say something like, ‘What? Is it, a little short, don’t you think?” she told Page Six exclusively in an interview on Wednesday.

The “Jolene” singer says that she retorted: “No! It’s not as short as theirs,” referring to the iconic dance squad’s uniforms.

Parton and Dean, who are very rarely seen in public together, married in 1966 after meeting at a laundromat two years earlier.

Parton, who is now 78 but was 77 when she rocked the low-cut crop top and skimpy white denim shorts paired with a sparkly catsuit underneath, shared that she initially thought people would find it “to be funny.”

Dolly Parton wowed fans when she donned a skimpy Dallas Cheerleaders outfit while performing at an NFL game in November 2023. Getty Images Parton says her husband, Carl Dean, questioned the length of her shorts. Getty Images

“I thought, if I can, if I could pull this off, that’d be a cool little thing to do,” she explained.

“I thought most people would excuse me if it didn’t turn out. I thought, they’re just like us, some older woman making a bad mistake,” she added. “Or I thought, well, maybe it’ll just be something cool to do.”

Clearly Parton wasn’t expecting the praise heaped on her by fans.

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The country singer has been married to Dean since 1966. Dolly Parton/Instagram

“Dolly Parton is 77 and hotter than me,” tweeted one person, while another deemed her a “national treasure.”

“Damn…….#DollyParton looks better than the real #DallasCowboys Cheerleaders,” a third wrote, while another added, “Hell yeah #DollyParton 77 years and smokin’.”

Tons of celebrities loved the look too, including former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, and Christie Brinkley calling Parton “inspiring” and suggesting she cover Sports Illustrated’s Swim issue.t

And though some critics told Parton to “act her age,” both Whoopi Goldberg and Parton’s sister, Stella, defended the blond bombshell, with the former telling haters to “bite me.”

Dean has rarely been photographed in public with Parton. Dolly Parton/Instagram

Parton also shares that she did wear the outfit on the way home via private jet, along with her crew, not having the chance to change. However, her costume designer thoughtfully gave her a robe to cover up.

“I put it on because I cannot fly all the way home with a bunch of men, you know, sitting here in this little…(outfit),” she explained. “They’ll aggravate me to death, you know, if nothing else, just making jokes or comments.”

Besides redefining what it means to be a septuagenarian, Parton is also busy with a food line.

Parton is currently promoting a new line of mixes with Duncan Hines. Duncan Hines

The beloved icon is currently promoting her ongoing partnership with Duncan Hines and is debuting a set of new mixes including buttermilk pancakes, favorite yellow cake mix and a banana nut muffin and bread mix.

It can all be purchased on bakingwithdolly.com and a fans can now pre-order a special Bake Like a Rockstar Baking Collection that includes some of the new mixes along with a kit full of limited-edition keepsakes.

And Parton isn’t stopping at sweet treats; More items are expected to launch later in 2024 including frozen items through Congara, the parent company of Duncan Hines.

She shares that she’s a good baker but “that’s usually for special occasions for me, because I try to have to watch my girlish figure because of my clothes!”