CNN Apologises After Airing Photo of Dolly Parton Impersonator During Death Coverage
CNN has apologised after broadcasting a photograph of a Las Vegas Dolly Parton impersonator instead of Parton herself during coverage of the country legend's death.
The mistake aired on Laura Coates Live, a CNN evening program, as the network reported Parton's passing on 25 August 2026 in Nashville. The image shown was a Getty Images photo of Kelly Vohnn, a celebrity impersonator based in Las Vegas — not Parton. Variety first reported the error on 27 August.
A CNN spokesperson told both Variety and Deadline: "We regret the error and apologize to the Parton family." Deadline published the statement on 28 August.
Parton, an 11-time Grammy winner, died at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, according to her publicist, Marcel Pariseau. Her nephew announced that she had passed away peacefully in Nashville on a Tuesday. CNN and CNN reported the family's announcement.
Kelly Vohnn, the impersonator whose photograph was used, said the image was taken at the Song Sung Blue premiere last year. She said she never gave permission to anyone to use her image and present it as Dolly Parton. "I ask that the media do better due diligence," Vohnn said, according to Deadline.
The photograph was sourced from Getty Images, a stock-image library widely used by news organisations for editorial coverage. How the image was selected for a segment about Parton's death — rather than a verified archival photo of the singer — has not been explained beyond CNN's apology.
CNN's misstep came during a week of extensive coverage honouring Parton's life and legacy. The network posted a video tribute in which anchor Jake Tapper recalled Parton giving him a tour of her Nashville studio in 2022. CNN CNN also published a special edition of its "Look of the Week" series, presented by CNN's Leah Dolan, celebrating Parton's signature style. CNN
For a news organisation, misidentifying a public figure in a death report is a serious editorial failure — one compounded by the fact that the subject was one of the most recognisable faces in American music. For the Parton family, who had just lost a loved one, the error meant a stranger's face appeared on screen as the world learned of her death. For Vohnn, it meant her likeness was broadcast to a national audience without her consent, attached to news she had no part in.
The photo error adds a layer of frustration to what has been a period of public mourning for Parton's fans across the world. Parton's career spanned more than six decades, with hits including "Jolene," "9 to 5," and "I Will Always Love You," the last of which became a global standard when Whitney Houston recorded it in 1992.
