How to watch Dolly Parton special featuring country music's top stars
Some of country music's biggest stars are honoring the late Dolly Parton in a live Country Music Association and ABC special on Wednesday.
The "CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton" special features an all-star lineup of singers and musicians, who'll sing Parton's iconic songs and celebrate her legacy.
Ahead of Wednesday's special, Reba McEntire sat down with ABC News' Lara Spencer to preview the show and reflected on her longtime friendship with the late country music legend.
"I’ve never known anybody -- politics, stardom, entertainment, sports -- who has caused so much celebration at their passing. And she deserves it," McEntire said. "I’ve never met anybody who doesn't like Dolly Parton and if they do, I don’t want to be around them."
Brad Paisley, who is also performing in the new special, said Parton's legacy crosses generations.
"[Young artists] care enough to be here, if they met her or not. This woman is immortal," Paisley told ABC News.
In addition to McEntire and Paisley, the new special will also include special guests Amy Grant and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
The special is being filmed at Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, which also hosted the premiere of Parton's "Dolly" musical in 2025.
How to watch the special
"CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton" is a two-hour live special that will air on Disney+ and ABC on Wednesday, Oct. 21, between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET.
The special will be available to stream on Thursday on Hulu.
Who will perform?
The star-studded lineup includes:
- Ashley McBryde
- Béla Fleck
- Brad Paisley
- Carly Pearce
- Carrie Underwood
- Darius Rucker
- Ella Langley, who will perform Parton's "Jolene"
- Kelsea Ballerini, who will perform Parton's "Here You Come Again"
- Kristen Bell
- Kristin Chenoweth
- Lady A, who will perform "Islands In the Stream," Parton's 1982 duet with Kenny Rogers
- Lainey Wilson
- Little Big Town
- Lukas Nelson
- Molly Tuttle
- Reba McEntire
- Ricky Skaggs
- Sierra Hull
- Vince Gill
- Zac Brown
In addition to special guests Amy Grant and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, a Belmont University student ensemble will perform.
Parton died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80 following what her family said was a "brief" battle with cancer. The beloved country music superstar was known as much for her philanthropy and entrepreneurship as she was for her music.
"Dolly Parton belonged to the whole world, but she was born of this industry, and this industry owes her a debt of gratitude that words alone cannot repay," CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said. "This special is our way of saying thank you, on behalf of every artist, industry member and fan who found a piece of themselves in her music."
Along with the special, the CMA and Belmont will donate a portion of proceeds from the special to benefit Parton's Imagination Library, a book-gifting program that has given away nearly 308 million books to children since 1995 to encourage reading.
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News, Disney+ and Hulu.
