Anna Wintour 'rejected' Dolly Parton for Vogue cover four times as she considered her 'too tacky'
Anna Wintour 'rejected' Dolly Parton for Vogue cover four times as she considered her 'too tacky'
Chiara FiorilloTue, September 8, 2026 at 7:10 AM UTC
0
Dolly Parton died after a brief battle with cancer -Credit:Getty ImagesAnna Wintour thought Dolly Parton was 'too country, too camp and too tacky for Vogue' as she 'completely missed' the image the country had of the late singer as an 'icon'
Anna Wintour "rejected" pitches to have Dolly Parton on the cover of American Vogue at least four times as she thought the late singer was "too tacky," it has been claimed.
An insider alleged that while the entire country saw the Jolene hitmaker as "an icon," the media executive, who served as editor-in-chief of Vogue from 1988 to 2025, "completely missed it." According to the source, Anna "looked at Dolly and saw rhinestones."
Meanwhile, another insider described the Dolly "snub" as "ridiculous" as Vogue eventually went on to embrace reality stars and influencers. The claims have emerged two weeks after Dolly passed away at the age of 80.
• Dolly Parton's rules for 'open' marriage with husband Carl Dean revealed
• CNN's Kaitlan Collins exposes Donald Trump's 'pathetic' new gadget in Oval Office
Speaking to Rob Shuter's Substack Naughty But Nice, a source said, "Anna thought Dolly was too country, too camp and too tacky for Vogue. She looked at Dolly and saw rhinestones. The rest of America saw an icon. Anna completely missed it."
Shuter also reported that the former Vogue editor also found Jessica Simpson too cheap and Alice Keys too urban. He wrote in his Substack, "Even Jennifer Lopez initially struggled for Anna's approval. Yet Kim Kardashian eventually made the cover. So did Lauren Sánchez Bezos."
Advertisement
It has been claimed that Anna Wintour declined the pitches at least four times -Credit:GC Images
While she missed out on a cover, the fashion world heavily celebrated Dolly's signature "country-glamour" aesthetic across various Vogue platforms. In January 1994, Vogue published a major profile on her titled "Good Golly Miss Dolly," which included a famous photoshoot by legendary photographer Herb Ritts. She was also photographed for the magazine by Irving Penn in October 1999.
Dolly collaborated directly with the publication for their popular digital series, including Vogue's Life in Looks, where she broke down her most iconic rhinestone-filled outfits, and features detailing her jewelry collection. But while Dolly missed out on a Vogue cover, she graced the cover of Vanity Fair for its June 1991 issue.
Shot by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, the iconic cover featured Dolly in a sparkling, heavily embellished gown and a white fur stole. Flashy and glamorous, shewas captured with her signature Hollywood smile while surrounded by American service members, a nod to her unofficial status as the ultimate pinup of Operation Desert Storm.
The editor reportedly saw Dolly as 'too tacky' for Vogue -Credit:AFP via Getty Images
"That's what makes the Dolly snub look ridiculous today," another insider told Shuter. "Vogue eventually embraced reality stars, influencers and billionaire glamour, but somehow Dolly Parton wasn't sophisticated enough? Please."
Announcing Dolly's death on August 25, the singer's nephew said in a video shared to Instagram, "My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I'm representing the Parton and Owens family today, announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis, and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next."
Her publicist, Marcel Pariseau, said in a statement, "After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones."
The Mirror US has approached Anna Wintour's representatives for comment.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
