<p id=”par-1_59″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/dolly-parton/”>Dolly Parton</a> has been <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/celebrity-relationships/?swcfpc=1″>married</a> to her husband, Carl Dean, for decades, a truth that may come as a surprise to some. Parton’s husband does not join her on red carpets or at shows — few pictures of him are even publicly available. Early in Parton’s career, though, Dean joined her at an industry event. According to those in attendance, Dean was visibly uncomfortable with being there.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-dolly-nbsp-parton-s-nbsp-husband-was-visibly-uncomfortable-at-an-industry-nbsp-event”>Dolly Parton’s husband was visibly uncomfortable at an industry event</h2>
<p id=”par-2_27″>In the 1960s, Parton received an award at the BMI Awards Dinner, and Dean accompanied her to the ceremony. Both of them were nervous about the event.</p>
<p id=”par-3_43″>“I was very excited, because I’d never been [to an awards dinner] before,” she said, per the book <em>Dolly </em>by Alanna Nash. “Carl said he’d go with me. That was the first time he’d been to any industry function with me, and it was the last. I was really nervous, but Carl was worse off than I was.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full is-resized” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” loading=”lazy” width=”1200″ height=”800″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Dolly Parton sings into a microphone while onstage in front of a large audience.” class=”wp-image-3648396″ style=”aspect-ratio:1.5;width:820px;height:auto” srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg 1200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg?w=640&h=427 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg?w=1024&h=683 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg?w=150&h=100 150w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg?w=768&h=512 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg?w=525&h=350 525w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg?w=254&h=169 254w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg?w=200&h=133 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg?w=761&h=507 761w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-1.jpg?w=90&h=60 90w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Dolly Parton | Richard McCaffrey/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_19″>Dean didn’t know anybody and was highly uncomfortable. According to one attendee, his discomfort was clear to everyone in the room.</p>
<p id=”par-5_57″>“Carl <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/dolly-parton-explains-hardly-ever-see-husband-carl-dean.html/”>made himself very, very scarce</a> after he brought Dolly, and I can see why,” the attendee said. “The man was completely uncomfortable … I don’t think she wanted him hanging around and meeting a bunch of music people that he had nothing in common with. I wouldn’t say it was embarrassing to her, but he was like a fish out of water.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-dolly-nbsp-parton-s-nbsp-husband-told-her-he-nbsp-didn-t-nbsp-want-to-go-to-more-events-like-nbsp-this”>Dolly Parton’s husband told her he didn’t want to go to more events like this</h2>
<p id=”par-6_26″>After the ceremony, Dean told Parton that <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/what-dolly-partons-husband-carl-dean-told-her-after-attending-his-first-show-business-event.html/”>he couldn’t accompany her</a> to further events. While he supported her career, he didn’t feel he fit into that part of her world.</p>
<p id=”par-7_59″>“He really felt out of place that night,” Parton said. “So after we got home, he said, ‘Now I know this is what you want for your life, and I’m proud for you because I want you to have it if it makes you happy. But it doesn’t make me happy, and I don’t want to be part of it. I’m just too uncomfortable. It’s not me, and I can’t get involved in it.’” </p>
<p id=”par-8_14″>Dean told her that he would tell her if he ever really wanted to go to another event. </p>
<p id=”par-9_55″>He said, ‘If anything ever comes up in your business that I want to go to I’ll tell you, but otherwise, don’t ask me to go because I don’t want to be obligated, and I don’t want to feel I’m going to disappoint you when I say no,’” she said. “Well, that was eleven years ago, and he hasn’t asked to go to anything since, and I haven’t asked him, so it’s worked out fine.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-she-has-described-him-as-a-nbsp-loner”>She has described him as a loner</h2>
<p id=”par-10_20″>Parton explained that part of the reason Dean felt so out of place was because <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/dolly-parton-called-husband-loner.html/”>he is a “loner.”</a> He didn’t care to schmooze with people he may never see again.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” loading=”lazy” width=”1200″ height=”1161″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-relationship.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”A black and white picture of Dolly Parton standing in front of a microphone.” class=”wp-image-3657259″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-relationship.jpg 1200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-relationship.jpg?w=517&h=500 517w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-relationship.jpg?w=1024&h=991 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-relationship.jpg?w=768&h=743 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-relationship.jpg?w=362&h=350 362w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-relationship.jpg?w=175&h=169 175w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-relationship.jpg?w=200&h=194 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-relationship.jpg?w=524&h=507 524w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dolly-Parton-relationship.jpg?w=62&h=60 62w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Dolly Parton | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-11_29″>“My husband is a loner,” Parton told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://people.com/country/dolly-parton-getting-married-again-at-70/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>People</a>. “He doesn’t particularly care about being around anybody but me. He’s just always asked me to leave him out of all this. He does not like all the hullabaloo.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_16″>Despite this, Parton said Dean is funny and charming with the people in his inner circle.</p>