Dolly Parton reveals she turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice

Dolly Parton said in an interview on NBC News' Today that she twice turned down receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump, but the reasons were not political.

"I couldn't accept it because my husband was ill", she said about the first offer.

For her part. Dolly says she's not even sure she deserves the award - but, of course, she does.

"Now I feel like if I take it, I'll be doing politics", she said, so she's not sure what she's going to do.

Back in November 2020, when asked by TV host Stephen Colbert why Parton isn't on the list of recipients, Obama replied: "That's a mistake". "She deserves one. I'll call Biden".

Parton tells Kotb and Bush Hager that the recognition would be "a nice compliment for people to think that I might deserve it", but added, "I don't work for those awards".

Perhaps her best-known charity project is her Imagination Library, a charity she founded in 1990 that provides one free book a month to children from birth until adulthood. The eight-time Grammy victor told Today that the new administration has reached out to her, but that she was anxious about how receiving the award from Biden might be perceived.

Obama promised to put in a word to his former vice president, now President Joe Biden.

Dolly also donated $1 million to fund COVID-19 research at Vanderbilt University, which helped develop the Moderna vaccine. I didn't donate the money so I could be protected.

But it seems the 46th president, too, could come up short in an effort to honor her, as Parton explained she might not actually want the Medal of Freedom at all.

The Medal of Freedom was established by President Truman in 1945. Trump also gave the Freedom medal to Tiger Woods, Rush Limbaugh and Lou Holtz, and honored other musicians like Toby Keith and Ricky Skaggs with the National Medal of the Arts.

"A lot of people through the years have wanted to change the lyrics to fit certain things they're doing".