Bill Maher references Dolly Parton's death with a joke during Real Time monologue
Comedian Bill Maher mentioned Dolly Parton's passing on his show, including a remark about a landmark lighting that referenced her physique, while noting the widespread tributes to the singer.
Comedian Bill Maher referenced the death of Dolly Parton, the 11-time Grammy-winning country music star, during the opening monologue of his Friday episode of Real Time. He noted that tributes were appearing across the United States and abroad, including heart-shaped lights on the Santa Monica ferris wheel, a pink illumination of the Empire State Building, and a display on the Las Vegas Sphere that featured a stylized nipple.
Parton's family confirmed she died in Nashville at age 80 after a brief illness with cancer. The artist had remained active until shortly before her death and had been involved in a range of charitable efforts through the Dollywood Foundation, supporting children's education, literacy, HIV/AIDS research, COVID-19 vaccine funding, disaster relief, animal welfare and LGBTQ causes.
"All this was going on, and all America could really talk about this week was how sad it is we lost Dolly Parton," Maher said.
The remarks sparked discussion about the appropriateness of humor in tributes to the late singer.