Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton have never hosted anything together, let alone a live awards show, but they admit they are both longtime fans of each other. The two sang each other’s praises, while speaking about their upcoming gig as co-hosts of the 2023 ACM Awards, with Brooks saying he would take his cues from Parton and the other females in country music.
“What I’m looking forward to the most, and forgive me for comparing you to somebody else, but when you get to work with Reba McEntire, you just wear out pencils on a notebook because you take notes, right?” Brooks reflected to Billboard. “A woman in this industry — and I’m married to one of the greatest singers ever — they have to work a thousand times harder to get a tenth as much. So you watch them go to work, and when it’s your turn, your time, you work like a girl. You outwork everybody you can.”
“Well, that’s very sweet,” Parton replied. “Now I see why you’ve been married to Trisha [Yearwood] all these years. And Reba, I’ve co-hosted with her before, and she is a worker too. I admire and respect all the great women in the business, but it’s nice to have these great guys like the Garths and people that really do appreciate the women as well as the men. We have a mutual respect for each other.”
While Brooks gushed about Parton and her lengthy legacy in country music, the 77-year-old insisted that the love and respect goes both ways.
“I’m a fan of yours too,” Parton said. “I think that’s going to be one of the things that hopefully shows up on camera that we like each other for real. I think sometimes you get people onstage and everybody’s a pro and can get up there and talk, but when you really feel the warmth between two people, I think that’s where the magic is, and I think we both have that in us.”
In spite of all that Brooks has done throughout his career, the Oklahoma native says he still can’t believe he gets to share the iconic stage with Parton.
“When you think about my career, I don’t want to pick favorites, but some of our biggest nights have been at the ACMs,” Brooks says. “The fact that they would even ask is flattering, and the fact that I get to host with Ms. Parton is unbelievable. The surprise of the night is you’re gonna see this beautiful woman carry this 260-pound ass all night.”
The 2023 ACM Awards will take place on Thursday, May 11 at 8:00 PM ET, streaming live on Amazon Prime Video, from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. A limited number of tickets are available to enjoy the ceremony in person, at SeatGeek.com.
