Dolly Parton Gives Hoda Kotb Advice About Marriage During Quarantine

Dolly Parton has been married to husband Carl Dean for almost 54 years, so it’s safe to say the country icon knows a thing or two about the institution. Meanwhile, Hoda Kotb is currently prepping for her own wedding to fiancé Joel Schiffman, so Parton gave her a little advice during a virtual appearance on the Today show on Thursday, April 2.

“We both are very crazy people, and we have a completely different sense of humor, but we just absolutely laugh all the time and that’s been true through the years,” Parton shared of herself and Dean. “I think there’s a whole lot to be said about being good friends, but a good sense of humor, like even right now during these times I’ve been making jokes about some of the stuff.

“People say, ‘Oh you shouldn’t be talking about that,’” she continued. “I say, ‘Oh, I know it’s no laughing matter what’s going on, but laughter truly is the best medicine, and it’s true with relationships as well.’”

Parton also shared her thoughts on living in self-quarantine with her husband, joking that the reason her marriage works is because she travels so much.

“I would say if you’re trapped in the house with him, you might want to be in separate rooms,” the 74-year-old cracked. “The reason it worked for me is because I’ve stayed gone. I can’t get away now. I’m stuck there now. I might find out who he is. We may not make it until the next anniversary.”

On Wednesday, Parton announced that she is donating $1 million to Vanderbilt University in Nashville to aid research for a cure for the coronavirus.

“My longtime friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, who’s been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure,” she wrote, encouraging others to donate as well. “I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research and to encourage people that can afford it to make donations.”

The Tennessee native will also be launching a bedtime-story YouTube series on Thursday, where she will read children’s books. Footage will include Parton and the interior illustrations of the books, which have been “carefully chosen for their appropriate content at this moment in time.” The series will premiere its first episode on Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. ET on the YouTube channel for Parton’s Imagination Library.

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