Dolly Parton is ‘still proud’ of funding COVID-19 vaccine: ‘My heart led me to do it’

In 2020 during the early stages of the pandemic, singer-songwriter and actress Dolly Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help them conduct research for a COVID vaccine.

Three years later, she told online entertainment news magazine Consequence that, at the time, she felt in her heart that she needed to do something to help, and that she’s still proud today that she made the effort, “even though thousands had a reaction to it.”

“But even knowing that, I’m still proud of what I did because my heart led me to do it,” she said.