Dolly Parton to Guest Star on ‘Grace and Frankie’ in ‘9 to 5’ Reunion

A 9 to 5 reunion of sorts is in the works after Dolly Parton seemingly confirmed that she will be appearing on Grace and Frankie, the Netflix show starring Parton’s 9 to 5 co-stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. During a recent virtual sit-down on Lorraine, Parton shared that she will “probably get around” to finding time to work the show into her schedule, giving fans of the 1980 film an on-screen reunion 30 years in the making.

“I have been trying to do Grace and Frankie for years. We worked so well on 9 To 5 and it’s a crazy wonderful show,” she said. “We have been trying to write me in somehow so when it is safe to actually do a production, I will probably get around to doing that.” Grace and Frankie will begin production on its seventh and final season later this year.

Tomlin had hinted at a Parton cameo during a virtual visit to Today with Hoda and Jenna last month. “Well, we’re always hoping that will happen,” she said. “We’ve got a great role for her this time. I think she will do it. I’m just hoping she will. And we hope she can do it and we think she can do it by remote.”

The actress added that her friend is “unbelievably busy.” “She’s always writing books or writing songs or doing something for people or helping people in Tennessee totally,” Tomlin said of Parton, who within the last year released a holiday album, a new book and a Netflix film, gave numerous remote performances, launched a fragrance and donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University, funding that was used to help develop the Moderna vaccine.

“I was just so happy to be part of that in any way,” she said of her donation. “I hope that we can get the vaccines out to everybody and then one of these days soon when life is good again we will be able to get out and do the concerts and get back on the road… it will come one day.”

Parton has previously discussed an actual 9 to 5 reunion, declaring during the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards that she has “been waiting for a 9 to 5 reunion ever since we did the first one.” In 2019, she told Entertainment Tonight that she, Tomlin and Fonda “dropped” the idea of a sequel. “I don’t think we’re going to do the sequel,” she said. “We never could get the script where it was enough different than the first one, and that one turned out so good.”