CNN Apologizes to Dolly Parton’s Family After Mistaking Las Vegas Impersonator for Country Legend During On-Air Tribute

CNN has apologized to Dolly Parton’s family after an embarrassing mistake during its coverage of the country music icon’s death saw the network display a photograph of a Las Vegas impersonator instead of Parton herself.

The error occurred Tuesday night on Laura Coates Live, roughly 12 hours after Parton’s family announced her death at age 80.

During what was intended to be a respectful retrospective on the singer’s extraordinary life and career, viewers were shown a sequence of photographs as correspondent Shimon Prokupecz reported from Nashville.

The first five images featured Parton.

The sixth did not.

Instead, CNN inadvertently showed viewers a photograph of veteran Dolly Parton tribute performer Kelly Vohnn — leaving the impersonator herself stunned when friends began telling her she had unexpectedly appeared on national television.

CNN acknowledges the mistake and apologizes

Host Laura Coates introduced the segment by turning to Prokupecz in Nashville, where fans had gathered to remember the woman widely celebrated as the Queen of Country.

As he spoke about Parton’s career and legacy, photographs appeared onscreen.

But among the genuine images of the singer was one showing Vohnn, a Las Vegas performer who has portrayed Parton professionally for decades.

CNN subsequently acknowledged the mistake.

“We regret the error and apologize to the Parton family,” a network spokesperson said in a statement provided to the Daily Mail.

The image had reportedly been taken at a movie screening in Las Vegas on December 16 and was distributed by Getty Images.

Kelly Vohnn couldn’t believe she was suddenly appearing on CNN

Vohnn, 58, said she learned about the mistake when messages from friends suddenly began arriving.

“Somebody at CNN really messed up and didn’t do their research,” she told the New York Post.

“I started getting all these texts in from friends saying that I was on CNN, and I couldn’t believe it.”

The timing made the situation particularly uncomfortable for Vohnn.

She was already mourning Parton herself, describing the country star as someone who had given her an enormous amount both “as a woman and an artist.”

Seeing her own photograph inserted into coverage of Parton’s death therefore felt deeply strange.

“I was already heartbroken at losing Dolly,” she explained. “But then to see these images of me on-screen, was just weird.”

The impersonator feared Dolly’s family might misunderstand

Vohnn was particularly concerned that the error could create the impression that she had somehow allowed her photograph to be presented as Parton.

She stressed that this was not the case.

“I just didn’t want the family to think I am trying to fool anyone,” she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Vohnn said she has always been transparent about the nature of her performances.

People attending her shows are told clearly that they are watching an impersonator, she explained, and her promotional material identifies her as a performer portraying Dolly rather than the real singer.

After the CNN mistake attracted attention, Vohnn also addressed the situation publicly on Instagram.

She wrote to the Dollywood Foundation to make clear that she had not given anyone permission to use her likeness in a way that could mislead viewers.

“This has happened a couple of times now and it’s not ok,” she wrote, adding that she does not own the photographs involved.

She then called for reporters to conduct better due diligence before broadcasting images.

Vohnn had been mourning Dolly only hours before the mix-up

The mistaken identification carried another layer of irony because Vohnn had spoken publicly about Parton’s death earlier that same day.

She appeared in a report for Las Vegas Fox affiliate KVVU-TV, where she became emotional while remembering the woman she had spent years portraying onstage.

“We just lost a really, really, really amazing human,” Vohnn said, calling Parton “one of the most amazing humans on the planet.”

Vohnn has worked as a tribute performer for more than 26 years.

Parton is far from the only country star she has portrayed. Her repertoire has also included Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Shania Twain and Patsy Cline.

But Dolly clearly held a particularly important place in her career.

The mistake left Vohnn questioning her future as Dolly

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Vohnn became emotional when discussing whether she would continue portraying Parton following the singer’s death.

“She represented hope in this chaotic world,” Vohnn reportedly said.

Despite the grief surrounding Parton’s passing, she indicated that she intends to continue honoring her legacy, describing her role going forward as “carrying the torch and sending love to her fans.”

For a professional tribute artist, Parton’s death presents an unusual emotional reality.

Vohnn has spent decades studying and celebrating Dolly’s recognizable voice, appearance and personality. Now she must decide how to continue that work after losing the person who inspired it.

The CNN error came during an intensely emotional week

Parton’s death prompted extensive television coverage and tributes from around the world.

The singer died Tuesday at age 80 following what her representatives described as a brief battle with cancer.

Her passing brought an extraordinary career to a close — one that produced classics including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” while establishing Parton as one of the most recognizable figures in American entertainment.

That made CNN’s photo error particularly conspicuous.

The segment was intended to celebrate Parton’s life at a moment when fans were gathering in Nashville to mourn her. Instead, one incorrect photograph briefly transformed the tribute into an entirely different story.

CNN has faced other recent on-air corrections

The mistake also follows other occasions in which CNN personalities have publicly corrected inaccurate information.

Audie Cornish recently apologized on air after quoting a social media post attributed to a fake congressman during a discussion concerning Republican Senator Mitch McConnell’s health.

Earlier, NewsNight host Abby Phillip issued a correction after inaccurately describing the circumstances surrounding a suspected ISIS-inspired incident near New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home.

CNN has now acknowledged the Parton mistake as well, issuing its apology directly to the late singer’s family.

For Vohnn, however, the most important point is that nobody mistake the network’s error for something she participated in.

She has spent more than two decades performing as Dolly Parton while making it clear that she is an impersonator.

And after the woman who inspired that work died, Vohnn found herself in the surreal position of having to explain that even though CNN briefly presented her photograph during its memorial coverage, she never wanted anyone to believe she was the real Dolly.