The country music legend Dolly Parton finally won her first Oscar on Sunday night. Indeed, though she had been nominated twice for Best Original Song in her decades-long career, Parton had surprisingly never taken home an Academy Award. That is, until now.
Parton Wins Her First Oscar
During the 2025 Governors Awards, which took place on November 16, Parton accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a video message.
In the video, which she filmed at her home in Nashville, Parton said that winning this award was a “great honor” and “a blessing of a lifetime.”
“I grew up in a house with 12 kids,” said Parton, 79, as she held her Oscar statuette. “Now, that alone teaches you how important sharing is. Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t have that much to share. But my mom and daddy showed me by example that the more you give, the more blessings come your way.”
“I’ve tried my whole life to live by their example and I’ve been blessed more than I ever dreamed possible,” she continued. “Like this award tonight — The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences.”
“It’s an honor just to be considered … I don’t take this kind of thing lightly,” Parton concluded. “It makes me want to dream up new ways to help lift people up. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be here for? So from my heart to yours, I truly thank you.”
Check out Parton’s full acceptance speech in the video below.
Parton’s Philanthropy
This award for Parton is well-deserved, given how devoted to philanthropy that she’s always been. Among other things, Parton launched the Dollywood Foundation back in 1988 to inspire the children in her home county in Tennessee to achieve educational success.
Parton later launched the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995. This is a monthly book gifting program for children under 5 that’s given kids over 285 million books. Needless to say, it can’t be denied that if any celebrity deserves an Oscar for humanitarianism, it’s Dolly Parton!
Parton’s Oscar History
Parton was presented with this Oscar by her 9 to 5 co-star Lily Tomlin, who the “Jolene” singer described as her “good buddy.”
“Beloved performer Dolly Parton exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts,” Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement when Parton’s win was announced back in June.
Parton had previously been nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song on two occasions. Her first nomination came for her song “Nine to Five,” which was featured in the 1980 movie 9 to 5. Parton ended up losing to the song “Fame” from the movie Fame.
Parton was later nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars again for the song “Travelin’ Thru,” which was featured in the 2005 film Transamerica. In that year, she lost out to the song “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from the movie Hustle & Flow.
Parton Is ‘Just Getting Started’
Parton is two months away from her 80th birthday, which is set to take place on January 19, 2026. Despite this, the country music icon isn’t slowing down anytime soon. In fact, Parton wants the world to know that she’s “just getting started.”
“People say, ‘Well, you’re going to be 80 years old.’ Well, so what? Look at all I’ve done in 80 years. I feel like I’m just getting started,” Parton told Fox Baltimore last week. “I know that sounds stupid, but unless my health gives way, which right now I seem to be doing fine, I think there’s a lot to be said about age. If you allow yourself to get old, you will. I say, ‘I ain’t got time to get old!’ I ain’t got time to dwell on that. That’s not what I’m thinking about.”
“I’m at that point in my life where I just want to be able to do good things that can be carried on,” she continued. “I’m proud of my legacy so far, and I hope to just continue to do things that might be of use to other people.”
We’re so glad that after decades of tireless work in both entertainment and philanthropy, Parton has finally won her first Oscar.
God bless you, Dolly Parton!