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NBC reminds pregame viewers about Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini scandal coach and Patriots want to forget
Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots want everyone to forget that the coach and the franchise by extension were tied to an embarrassing scandal when the Dianna Russini story surfaced in April.
But here we are on the night the NFL season kicks off and, nope, nobody has forgotten.
NBC, bless their hearts, didn't forget.
On their pregame show prior to the Patriots season-opening game against the Seattle Seahawks, the relationship between Vrabel and Russini was highlighted.
And discussed.
"Remember in the offseason, Vrabel missed the final day of the draft in April to seek counseling after photos were published of him and longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini," host Maria Taylor told the audience before moving on to the acquisition of A.J. Brown and asking if the team is better on paper now.
This is not what the Patriots want. It's definitely not what Vrabel wants because he has mostly declined to answer questions on the topic since training camp opened with one exception when he was asked about that family counseling.
MIKE VRABEL, ONE MONTH AFTER STARTING 'COUNSELING,' TELLS REPORTERS HE LOVES HIS WIFE
Vrabel deflected from the topic that time.
He also declined to address the issue last week when The Athletic published its standards review which found the reporter's relationship with Vrabel was "in clear violation" of the media company's standards.
"This team has fully moved past all the offseason stuff," analyst Devin McCourty, a former Patriots safety, said on air. "The Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini stuff, they're not talking about it.
"You won't hear a player mention anything. They're focused solely on this season."
The Patriots may indeed be fully focused on the start of the regular season.
But they do not write the script for the media which may continue to mention the offseason scandal early this season as a way of recapping all that happened to the team and its coach.
And, obviously, if the season in any way goes against expectations and the Patriots struggle, it won't be a reach for reporters to ask if the scandal that dominated national headlines from April to June distracted from any preparation.
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One more thing:
Russini, who resigned from The Athletic following the publishing of her photos with Vrabel, has reportedly vowed to address the issue once she returns to public life. Depending on what narrative that address follows, the Patriots may once again find themselves trying to manage a public relations issue.
(Just a guess here: Russini will find no fault with anything she did during her many-years-old relationship with Vrabel dating back to when he coached the Tennessee Titans).
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson gets the nod to host the 'Saturday Night Live' season premiere
The first batch of hosts for the new season of "Saturday Night Live" has been announced, and New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is about to join an elite group of athletes who have been given the nod.
A group with varying degrees of success.
Brunson will host the season premiere of the long-running sketch comedy series, which — believe it or not, kids — has at times in its 50-plus-year run been very funny. That will air on September 26 with musical guest Katseye.
KNICKS STAR JALEN BRUNSON IS A MAN OF THE PEOPLE, REVEALS THE ONE THING HE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
Considering he's done some stuff with WWE, I think Brunson might be one of the athletes who actually does well on SNL.
As I said, over the years, we've seen some athletes who proved to be good actors and a lot who were as stiff as a board and portrayed themselves in just about every sketch.
They put out an SNL sports special back in the late aughts (I downloaded it onto my iPod Touch and would watch it in study hall; that's how late aughts it was), and you'd be surprised how many solid sketches there were with athletes, even if the athlete is not a great actor in the sketch.
I think the best athlete host of all time is, without question, Peyton Manning. In fact, I've even argued that his timing is so good, he probably could've been a supporting player.
His high-water mark was without a doubt the United Way commercial, one of the best commercial parodies of the last 25 years.
Another athlete I thought was pretty solid — and this could prove controversial — was LeBron James.
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The best sketch he was in was a bizarre Will Forte fever dream called "The Lyle Kane Show" that I can't find anywhere. So, I pulled the next best LeBron sketch, "Read to Achieve."
I've quoted the line, "Don't give me this; I'm a lefty from Kansas," more times than I'd care to admit. It's so good.
A standard SNL play when the athlete's acting is a little on the wooden side is to put them in a sketch where the other actor does all the work.
Like this gem with Michael Jordan and Al Franken as Stuart Smalley.
And one final move for athletes (not typically the host, though) is to stick them behind the "Weekend Update" desk. One of my favorites was this bit with NHL great Brett Hull.
Hopefully the SNL writers and cast — no, I can't name any of them either — have been using the summer to come up with some great material for Brunson when they reconvene at 30 Rock for the season opener at the end of the month.
Ex-Titans scout Blaise Taylor gets consecutive life terms for cocaine poisoning of pregnant girlfriend
Former Tennessee Titans scout Blaise Taylor, who spent four years in the organization's scouting department from 2019 to 2023, is going to prison for the rest of his life after getting two consecutive life sentences for the cocaine poisoning of his pregnant girlfriend, Jade Benning, and their unborn daughter.
A Davidson County judge made sure Taylor will never smell freedom again, slapping him with back-to-back life terms after a jury saw right through his bogus allergic reaction story.
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On Feb. 25, 2023, Taylor was at Benning’s Nashville apartment when he put a fatal dose of cocaine into her pink lemonade. After she drank it, Taylor called 911 and lied to dispatchers, claiming she was having an allergic reaction. Both Benning and the baby died.
The unborn baby girl died two days later, on Feb. 27.
TEXAS MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING PREGNANT WIFE ALLEGEDLY CUTS OFF ANKLE MONITOR AND FLEES TO ITALY
Benning stayed on life support until March 6, 2023, which was her 25th birthday, before she died. Toxicology results went against Taylor's account, showing cocaine in her system and turning the case into a homicide investigation.
During the 10-day trial in Nashville, prosecutors broke down Taylor's alibi and laid out a clear timeline of the crime. The jury took less than two hours to convict him on all counts: second-degree murder in Benning's death, first-degree murder for the unborn baby and two counts of felony murder.
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Prosecutors quickly pointed out that not a single letter mentioned the victims or showed any remorse. The judge ordered the two life sentences to run back-to-back. Taylor's legal team plans to appeal, but for now, the former scout is heading to prison for life ... and then some.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
Chris Rock says President Trump is correct on one key issue, and it almost redeems his ‘other sins’
Legendary actor and comedian Chris Rock argued that, if nothing else, President Donald Trump is dead-on accurate when criticizing the news as "fake."
Rock spoke to Variety about his upcoming film, "Misty Green," offering candid commentary on the entertainment industry. During the interview, Variety noted that Rock still has the same "opinionated, incendiary persona that caught Eddie Murphy’s eye at a New York comedy club one night when Rock was just 19."
"Rock was one of the few celebrities to publicly predict Donald Trump would win the 2016 election," Variety wrote. "And speaking about the president today, Rock says, ‘I’m not a fan. But it’s weird when somebody gets one thing right, and the one thing almost clears them of all their other sins. The news is fake. He got that right.’"
Curtis Houck, managing editor of the Media Research Center's NewsBusters, responded to Rock's comments in a statement to Fox News Digital.
EX-CNN ANCHOR DON LEMON AGREES TRUMP PLAYED LIBERAL NETWORK 'LIKE PUPPETS'
"In this day and age, we often find ourselves feeling like we’re approaching cats-and-dogs living together on certain issues, and that includes the acknowledgment that the legacy, elitist media have failed to serve the public," Houck said.
"The widespread awareness of both media bias and press ineptitude will be one of President Trump’s longest-lasting legacies. Chris Rock certainly seems to be on the president’s wavelength."
In 2023, Rock raised eyebrows by warning U.S. lawmakers that arresting Trump would only make him "more popular."
Rock had made the comments while in Washington, D.C., for an event honoring Adam Sandler. He began poking fun at the well-connected crowd, which included former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of President Biden's administration.
CRAIG FERGUSON REVEALS WHY TRUMP JOKES ARE MISSING FROM HIS NEW COMEDY TOUR
"Are you guys really going to arrest Trump?" Rock asked. "Do you know this is only going to make him more popular. It's like arresting Tupac. He's just gonna sell more records. Are you stupid?"
Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
The potential replacement for Dabo Swinney at Clemson is staring the Tigers right in the face
If you've been paying attention at all, you know the Clemson Tigers are at a bit of a crossroads.
Even casual college football fans can see the writing on the wall, as the once-proud national powerhouse has fallen on hard times, culminating in a 51-10 beatdown at the hands of LSU on Saturday night.
I've written a lot about Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney and the thin line between respecting his past accomplishments and ushering the program into the NIL era, but lately I've found myself wondering if he's used up his nine lives.
HOW MUCH LONGER DOES CLEMSON HEAD COACH DABO SWINNEY REALISTICALLY HAVE IN DEATH VALLEY?
Saturday wasn't anything new - Clemson getting clobbered by a quality opponent has happened quite often post-Covid – but the fact that the general public has changed its reaction to the ritualistic sacrifices from shock to apathy shows that the Tigers aren't what they used to be.
And that starts at the top.
It's probably not a hot take to say that it's time for Clemson to make a change at head coach.
The game appears to be passing Dabo by at warp speed, and although he won the ACC and made the College Football Playoff just two seasons ago, the conference is only getting tougher, and opponents like Miam, which used to be stepping stones for the Tigers on their way to a championship, are now leaning into the "new model" and lapping the old rulers of the realm.
But getting rid of a coach is only half of the equation, and the question still remains: Who does Clemson replace Swinney with should it choose to move on from him?
The Tigers are one of the few "haves" in a world of "have nots," meaning they could pick from a list of elite head coaches and not have to go too far down before hearing a "yes."
However, going "big game hunting" isn't always the answer.
Texas A&M, LSU, and USC are all some of the biggest brands in college football, and when they were in the market for a head coach, all three went after names who were "too big to fail."
The Aggies secured Jimbo Fisher, who had won a national championship at Florida State less than half a decade ago.
The Tigers and Trojans were searching for a new head coach during the same hiring cycle, and both came away with options that were deemed absolute coups at the time in Brian Kelly and Lincoln Riley, respectively.
Today, only one of those three coaches is still employed by the last school to hire him, as Fisher and Kelly both failed to live up to the lofty expectations placed upon them when they arrived on campus.
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Riley is still plugging away at USC, and although things seem to be trending up in Los Angeles, he's in year five without a single Playoff appearance to show so far, hardly the type of tenure any Trojans fan would have envisioned when they plucked him from Oklahoma in late 2021.
All that is to say, Clemson doesn't need to hire the "sexy name" to have a successful coaching search. They need to hire the right guy.
And I believe the answer is staring the Tigers right in the face.
If Clemson pulls the plug on the Dabo Swinney era, its first call should be to Tony Elliott at Virginia.
Elliott is fairly young for a head coach at only 46 years old, and he has the Cavaliers trending in a historic direction.
After increasing Virginia's conference win totals every season since arriving in Charlottesville, Elliott guided the Cavs to an 11-win season and an ACC title game berth.
Those 11 wins were the most in school history, and the up-and-coming head coach was awarded the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award for his efforts.
He has the Cavaliers ranked in the AP Top-25 again this season after a rout of NC State in week zero, a team many thought would be a darkhorse contender in the ACC.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Clemson has far more resources and deeper pockets for football than Virginia.
If he's doing this well with the Cavaliers in the same conference, imagine what Elliott could do with the Tigers.
But it's not just his coaching acumen that should have him at the top of the list.
Because Tony Elliott is also a Clemson alum.
He played for the Tigers in the early 2000s, and in addition to that, he was the offensive coordinator under Swinney for seven seasons, helping his alma mater win two national championships in the process.
The idea of having an alum coach his school is becoming increasingly popular, particularly in the ACC.
Brent Key (Georgia Tech), Jeff Brohm (Louisville), and Mario Cristobal (Miami) are all coaching at the schools they played for, and experiencing great success in the process.
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Elliot is crushing the previous baseline established at Virginia, he will be a hot name in any coaching search for the next few seasons, and he's a former player and coordinator with the Tigers.
Let's not overthink this, Clemson.
Dabo's replacement is there for the taking, just make the call.
Spanish opposition leader calls prime minister a ‘traitor’ over Ceuta migrant crisis
A Spanish opposition leader branded the country's socialist prime minister a traitor over his government's handling of the influx of migrants in a North African enclave.
Santiago Abascal, leader of the Vox party, spoke during a parliamentary session when he asked if Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was being blackmailed by Morocco amid the border crisis in Ceuta.
During his remarks, Abascal called Sánchez a "traitor" and "a dog."
Sánchez responded in a heated back-and-forth, saying, "I may be a dog, but I have no master."
Abascal then held up sheets of paper one by one that spelled out "Traidor," Spanish for "Traitor." Sánchez then sat down.
Spain has seen major protests in response to the migrant arrivals in Ceuta, with critics blaming Sánchez for the crisis and some accusing him of pandering to Morocco.
LOCALS TORCH MIGRANT SHELTERS AS SPAIN'S PM POINTS BLAME BEYOND THE BORDER
More than 70,000 migrants poured into Ceuta in July. Most of them have returned to Morocco, but many remain in the enclave, with some living in tent encampments on the beach.
Meanwhile, Spain’s national intelligence agency issued multiple warnings before the mass crossing of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta in late July, according to declassified documents released by the government on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.
"There are two different groups with a total of 180,000 followers," the declassified WhatsApp message said, "just to give you an idea of its scale."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Caitlyn Jenner says she may enter the WNBA Draft to challenge trans athlete eligibility rules
As Enes Kanter Freedom continues to challenge the eligibility rules of the WNBA, someone else may be tempted to do the same.
Caitlyn Jenner, who Freedom has mentioned in his "peace summit" idea to talk with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA task force about the eligibility controversy, mentioned on "Planet Tyrus" that she has spoken with Freedom on multiple occasions.
During one of them, Jenner admitted she, as a "real trans person," told Freedom she might even consider entering the WNBA draft.
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"Enes and I have talked on the phone quite a few times, and I even told him one time — this is a couple of weeks ago — ‘Enes, I’m like a real trans person. Maybe I should sign up for the 2027 WNBA draft,’" Jenner told Tyrus.
Jenner went on to mention that, back in the 1970s while becoming an American athletic icon as Bruce Jenner following a record-breaking decathlon gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, she was drafted by the then-Kansas City Kings in the NBA.
These are the same Kings which now play in Sacramento following an original stint in Kansas City from 1972-85. While Jenner played basketball growing up, it was the decathlon she gave her undivided attention.
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Still, the basketball skill is there, and Jenner is one of the most well-known trans persons in the country. Would the WNBA step in if the 76-year-old entered the draft?
"All the WNBA had to say was, ‘You can’t play in our league because you are a man. This is a woman’s league.’ That’s it, it’s over. News cycle’s done," Tyrus said earlier in their hour-long conversation.
"Maybe they don’t want the news cycle being done," Jenner responded. "Yes, that’s a good point."
"Well, look at Sophie Cunningham and what happened with her — the WNBA has never got so much press."
Late last month, Freedom posted a video on X following his ejection from Wintrust Arena after a spat with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud in a game where they played Cunningham and the Indiana Fever. Freedom was speaking directly to Engelbert and the WNBA task force in his video, where he mentioned Jenner could moderate the "peace summit."
"I’ve already spoken with her, and she’s in," Freedom wrote on X. "…Listen, the whole world is laughing at you. You have turned the #WNBA into a laughingstock. It’s time to stop hiding behind closed-door meetings, excuses, and delays and finally give the public a clear answer. Let’s have a peace summit. No shouting. No hiding. No carefully scripted statements.
CAITLYN JENNER SAYS THERE'S A 'SIMPLE' SOLUTION TO END THE WNBA'S TRANS ATHLETE DEBATE
"Let’s sit across the table from each other, have an open and respectful conversation, and address the questions millions of people are asking."
Engelbert and the league have not responded to Freedom, whom referenced the WNBA task force that came to no decision of what justified a woman while deliberating over eligibility concerns in a recent meeting.
Jenner has long been an advocate for keeping biological men out of women’s sports. She has even given her "simple" solution to end the WNBA’s trans athlete debate amid Freedom and Royce White’s endeavors.
"They’re showing the hypocrisy of what’s going on out there in the WNBA," Jenner said of Kanter and White on "Fox News @ Night" with Trace Gallagher . "The WNBA had their meetings on this issue and Cathy (Engelbert), the head, says, ‘We talked about the trans issue but we just haven’t come up with a conclusion at this point. We will continue the conversation.’ Cathy, XX, you’re in. XY you’re out. It’s that simple.
"And both these guys I think are doing a good job just to show the WNBA the hypocrisy that’s going on here. We have to protect women’s sports … I want to protect women’s sports. Title IX was one of the greatest legislations for women’s equality – that happened to be in sports."
Tyler Herro's model girlfriend hits free agency after his trade to Milwaukee, court docs reveal
It seems like just yesterday that I was documenting Tyler Herro's Instagram model girlfriend Katya Elise Henry's battle through something she called "Project Booty Challenge." The reality is that it's been almost three years.
A lot can and has changed in that amount of time. Back then, they had just put an apparent breakup and cheating rumors behind them. Herro was four years into his NBA career and they had a growing family.
Fast-forward to June and Herro found himself in a blockbuster trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat. He was headed back home to Wisconsin, but would his model girlfriend be joining him?
FORMER HEAT TEAMMATES BAM ADEBAYO, TYLER HERRO INVOLVED IN HEATED LAS VEGAS EXCHANGE: REPORT
The answer to that question appears to have arrived on Tuesday in the form of court documents obtained by TMZ. According to the docs, Herro and Henry have called it quits and are "duking it out in court over custody and support."
They've both reportedly filed lawsuits. However, the Bucks guard is said to have dismissed his case days later. He had asked the court to set up a parenting schedule and determine the amount of child support he should be paying.
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He claims to have been paying her support voluntarily since she gave birth. For her part, Henry says in her filing that she was in a relationship with Herro for almost 7 years and that she was the primary caregiver for their two children.
She's asking for primary custody and wants their children to see their dad with "safeguards and parameters" in place. She reportedly cited "historical conduct" that she purposefully left out of her filing out of respect.
Things move quickly in the NBA. One minute you're a star living it up in a city like Miami and the next you're being packaged up in a deal for a bigger star and shipped off to Milwaukee.
I'm not going to pretend to know why these two called it quits and if the trade played any sort of significant role in their split. I will go out on a limb and say that it didn't help.
ESPN hopes to make Peter Schrager its first homegrown star in over a decade | Bobby Burack
If you speak to anyone in or around ESPN, they will tell you the same story about Peter Schrager: ESPN wants him to be its next big star.
On Thursday, the network will debut "Big Day with Peter Schrager." The program will air weekdays at 2 p.m., as OutKick first reported in July.
Schrager joins a short list of individuals with ESPN television shows in 2026 built specifically around their personality. Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Smith, Mike Greenberg and Scott Van Pelt are the others. That group should tell you all you need to know about how the network views Schrager.
HERE IS HOW PAT MCAFEE HAS SURPASSED STEPHEN A SMITH AS THE FACE OF ESPN | BOBBY BURACK
Schrager will also be the first personality under Burke Magnus’ regime to receive a push toward potential stardom. Remember, ESPN did not make McAfee a star. He was already a star before signing with the network. In fact, ESPN licensed McAfee’s show to a then-record-setting deal because it had so mightily struggled to create new stars in-house.
McAfee had leverage because none of the personalities ESPN previously tried to establish had any. That list includes Bomani Jones, Sarah Spain, Katie Nolan, Monica McNutt, Jemele Hill, Michael Smith and Mina Kimes.
Schrager represents a change of pace from that group. He fits ESPN’s preferred direction of leaning into the positivity and excitement surrounding sports, rather than the negative and polarizing coverage that had become standard.
Last month, ESPN executive Mike Foss emphasized during a town hall the company’s desire to move away from "hot takes."
Schrager also provides more expertise than other personalities ESPN hoped to brand around. He has a background in NFL reporting. He is more knowledgeable than those who cover the league primarily through the lens of the culture war.
On the surface, Schrager’s prospects are promising. But concerns remain. One involves the executive who hired and elevated him.
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Last week, OutKick explained how Magnus undermined his own edict and vision by hiring back Stan Verrett to host a throwaway show on NFL Network. During his first tenure, Verrett represented the very type of behavior Magnus had spent the past few years weeding out, including deranged posts, unprofessional direct messages to reporters, and preposterous race talk.
We believe Magnus felt pressure after Ryan Clark name-dropped him in unfounded accusations of racism following Clark’s firing. ESPN did not deny our understanding of Magnus’ position.
If Magnus has set out to prove that he is not a racist, he could derail Schrager’s new show by surrounding him with polarizing individuals eager to impress their audiences on Threads, Bluesky, and Black Twitter.
This is an issue elsewhere at the company. Nearly every ESPN program features a rotating cast of panelists, most of whom viewers are not tuning in to hear. Get Up is now more about Chris Canty and Chiney Ogwumike than Greenberg, one of the last few difference-makers left at the company.
Schrager has not shown that he has the chops to push back against said hysteria. During Super Bowl week, he nodded along on set as NFL defensive lineman Cam Jordan spewed nonsense in an effort to argue that Lamar Jackson is a better postseason quarterback than Josh Allen, despite all evidence to the contrary.
That was a bad look for Schrager. He looked scared.
WHY DID BURKE MAGNUS HIRE BACK STAN VERRETT?
Therefore, the question begs whether Schrager is prepared to push back when, say, McNutt and David Dennis Jr. belittle and downplay Caitlin Clark while further advancing racial narratives. Whether he is could swiftly determine the success and perception of his program.
There is a reason NFL Live is growing at double-digit rates while First Take is stagnant. Sports fans want fun, not polarization. We thought Magnus understood that. The hiring of Verrett casts doubt on whether he does.
Finally, while live sports and streaming will ultimately define ESPN’s success, it is important that the network casts Schrager right.
Most of the company’s biggest stars are around 60 years old, including Stephen A., Greenberg and Van Pelt. At 44, Schrager could have a long runway alongside McAfee, who is 39.
Laura Rutledge, 37, Josh Pate, 40, and Malika Andrews, 31, are other potential future stars for the network.
If there were ever a sports personality we would strongly advise to stick to sports and stay off X, it would be Peter Schrager. He has the chance and talents to become one of the faces of ESPN for the next decade.
But ESPN hasn't built a star on its own since Stephen A. Smith. That was in 2015. Schrager will have to buck that trend.
Dolly Parton 'could not bear negative things' and kept her cancer diagnosis from fans and family
Dolly Parton's sister is sharing why the legendary singer kept her cancer diagnosis a secret.
In an interview with "CBS Mornings'" scheduled to air Thursday, Sept. 10, her sister, Stella Parton, said Dolly didn't go public with her cancer diagnosis because she "did not want people sad," revealing she didn't even share the news with her entire family.
"Well, Dolly did not want anybody to tell that, because Dolly could not bear negative things, and she would not have wanted her fans worried about it," she shared. "She didn’t want a lot of the family worried about it. Some of us knew, the ones that were closer, but not every relative."
The "Jolene" singer died at the age of 80 Aug. 25 after a "brief battle with cancer."
News of her death was announced on her Instagram by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, in which he highlighted her body of work as a musician, as well as her philanthropic work with the Imagination Library.
Her death inspired tributes on social media from fans around the world, including musicians and actors, something Stella says the "9 to 5" star would have been happy with.
"She’d be really happy and delighted that people have shown her so much love because she knew that that would make us feel better as her family," Stella said. "Bottom line, end of the day, her family and Carl’s family and probably Judy’s family are the people that she would want to say, ‘See, everything I did, they cared. They really loved me."
Dolly rose to stardom in 1967 when she began appearing on "The Porter Wagoner Show." During her time on the show, the two released many iconic duets and were nominated for many Grammys together.
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She chose to leave the show and focus on her solo career in 1974, after seven years with the program.
In an effort to explain to Wagoner, who had become her close friend during her tenure on the show and was unhappy with the news, why she needed to leave the show, she wrote one of her biggest hits, "I Will Always Love You."
"I sang the song alone in his office — just me and my guitar," she told Howard Stern in 2023, adding that he replied, "That’s the best song you’ve ever wrote … You can go if I can produce the song."
She won 10 Grammy Awards, received a Kennedy Center Honor, got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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In addition to her success as a country music star, Dolly was also a philanthropist. She launched the Imagination Library, a book gifting program which sends one book a month to children across the country regardless of their family's economic status.
"When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true," Dolly said in a statement on the organization's website. "I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister.
"Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer," she continued. "The seeds of these dreams are often found in books, and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world."