Dolly Parton will not be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.
In a social media statement on Monday, the icon asked Hall to withdraw his name from the 2022 ballot, "I don't think I've earned the right."
"I really don't want votes to be divided because of me, so I should respectfully bow down," she said in the statement. "I hope the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will understand and be ready to consider me again—if I ever qualify. However, it has given me a hopeful great rock 'n' roll record in some places." Inspired to make a point in the future, which is what I've always wanted to do."
Earlier this year, Rock Hall added Parton to a nominee class that includes Eminem, Beck, Duran Duran, A Tribe Called Quest, Lionel Richie and more. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced this year's class in May, according to its website; Hall's representative could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
While rare, it is not unprecedented for the Country Music Hall of Fame to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A rare class of artists—including Brenda Lee, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Hank Williams, and the Everly Brothers—can be found at both prestigious clubs.
But in an interview with Billboard last month, Parton said he never saw himself as a rock 'n' roller "in any sense of the word." In her statement, Parton said her husband, Carl Dean, "is a total rock 'n' roll freak" who always encouraged her to dip her toe in the style — an idea Parton teased earlier this year.
“… But if I do, I'll have to immediately, next year, put out a great rock and roll album—which I've wanted to do for years like Linda Ronstadt or Hart spoke."
This isn't the first time Parton has reignited her legacy to strip herself of honors she felt unworthy. In 2021, she asked Tennessee lawmakers to introduce a bill that would ensure her likeness in a statue on the State Capitol grounds; And during a "Today" show interview last year, Parton said he twice declined the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former US President Donald Trump.
Parton breaks up with Rock Hall over the course of a whirlwind month for the multi-hyphenate entertainer. Last week, Parton co-hosted the ACM Awards in Las Vegas, the same day she released her first novel, "Run, Rose, Run," a thriller with best-selling author James Patterson. Earlier this month, Parton released an album of the same name to accompany the book.