Jenna Bush Hager Recalls 'Legend' Dolly Parton's 'Grace' While Interviewing Singer After 'Today' Host's Grandma Died: 'I'll Never Forget Her Kindness'

Jensen Bird Thu, August 27, 2026 at 9:41 PM UTC

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Jenna Bush Hager posted a tribute to Dolly Parton.MEGA

Jenna Bush Hager paid tribute to Dolly Parton.

The anchor uploaded an Instagram post on August 25 after the 80-year-old country music star's death was announced following her short battle with cancer.

The TODAY With Jenna and Sheinelle host reflected on interviewing Parton in 2019, just after she found out her maternal grandmother and namesake, Jenna Welch, passed away.

'She Was a Legend'

Jenna Bush Hager interviewed Dolly Parton right after the anchor's grandmother died.MEGA

"As I write this, Dolly's music is being played in the restaurant where I am eating," the anchor, who is currently on break from her morning show, wrote. "She was a legend. Her voice was unparalleled, but it was her utter originality and purity of spirit that will be sorely missed."

Bush Hager, who founded Read With Jenna, spoke with Parton about her own passion for literacy and the Imagination Library, years before she passed away. The non-profit has donated free books to millions of children.

"We needed all that glitter and goodness. She gave with all that she was," Bush Hager continued, adding a photo of their interview segment. "In this picture of us, I had just received the news my grandmother, Jenna, had passed away."

Jenna Bush Hager commended Dolly Parton for giving her 'grace.'MEGA

Bush Hager commended the star for giving her "grace" as she spoke with her at the Dollywood theme park in Tennessee.

"I was already with her in Knoxville, so she held me and gave me such grace," she concluded. "I'll never forget that kindness. May we take just a little of her beauty and pass it on."

The mom-of-three reshared a clip of their interview in which they discussed the importance of literacy for young children, inspired by Parton's father who could not read or write.

"I wanted to do something so my dad could be proud to help me with," she told Bush Hager at the time. "Daddy got to live long enough to hear the kids call me The Book Lady. And he was as proud of that as me being a star. And that meant so much to him. And so I felt like I brought honor to my dad through that."

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Dolly Parton's death was announced by her nephew.MEGA

Parton's death was announced by her nephew Bryan Seaver on her social media channels.

"Dolly opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. By her example, we believed that everything was possible," he gushed.

"But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly," he added. "Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens."

Celebrities Pay Their Respects to Dolly Parton

Multiple celebrities have offered tributes to Dolly Parton.MEGA

Since her death was announced, countless other celebrities have posted tributes to the Grammy-winning artist, noting how her impact had touched their lives.

Nicole Kidman referred to Parton as an "extraordinary light" at the Practical Magic 2 London premiere, as Sandra Bullock gushed that "there's no one left like her."

"I have an angel by my side. I always have," Miley Cyrus wrote on social media of her "Aunt Dolly," later adding, "I will always love her and want to make her proud."

Even Kristen Bell declared she would not wear a bra on the day after Parton's death. "T--- at half-mast for Dolly," she quipped.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”