A child’s reaction to seeing Dolly Parton at Dollywood has gone viral on social media.
Newsweek reached out to Parton’s representative via email for comment outside regular working hours.
The Context
Dollywood is a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and is the state’s “most-visited tourist attraction,” according to its website. It was originally called Silver Dollar City until the Herschend Brothers, who owned the site, partnered with Parton, 79, in the 1980s and changed its name.
What To Know
Over the weekend, TikTok account @the615house, which promotes new country music talent, shared a resurfaced clip of a boy showing his excitement for Parton as she rode by him in a carriage at Dollywood.
“Honestly everyone else is underreacting,” @the615house captioned the clip.
In the video, the child repeatedly says “Oh my God,” while waving his arms in the air. When Parton spots him in the crowd and points to him, he screams even louder.
At the time of publication, the post racked up more than 619,800 views, 80,800 likes and over 370 comments.
The video was also shared to Reddit on Monday. User u/jlovelysoul declared the youngster’s response to the 10-time Grammy Award winner “the only appropriate reaction.” It received 24,000 upvotes and over 250 comments.
The original video was uploaded by TikTok user Jordan April Ramey, who goes by @rameyfamily.4, in March.
“Please Watch! Our 8 year old seeing @Dolly Parton for the first time!” she wrote using the hashtags “#passholderday #dollywood #openingday #dollyparton” and “#superfan.”
At the time, her post had 6.6 million views, 1.5 million likes and more than 9,600 comments.
Newsweek also reached out to Ramey via TikTok for comment on Tuesday.
What People Are Saying
In the replies underneath the original post, people praised the heartwarming moment:
Barbie wrote in a note with 98,100 likes: “same buddy…… same.”
Spotify added in a message with 41,300 likes: “honestly everyone should be matching his energy it’s DOLLY PARTON!!!”
TikTok users also commented on @the615house’s video:
TikTok user @taliabreezed13 said: “That is the correct response little one.”
@goosefraud posted: “He knows who the Queen of Tennessee is.”
On Reddit, others shared their thoughts, too:
u/alpha_rat_fight_ stated in a reply with 2,500 upvotes: “Incredibly valid.”
u/ComprehensiveSoft27 shared in a post with 54 upvotes: “Yo if I were that kid I’d do the same thing. Dolly is legend.”
What Happens Next
Parton’s upcoming book, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, will be released on November 11.
In a message posted to Instagram in May, Parton said the book “is a look back at seven decades of performing—full of personal stories, memories and never-before-seen photos.”
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