There Are So Many Conspiracy Theories About Dolly Parton and Vaccines
5 min read
Summary
Conspiracy theories surrounding singer and philanthropist Dolly Parton’s recent death have flooded the internet, referencing everything from satanic rituals to cloning. But one conspiracy theory has dominated all the others: the claim that Parton’s death was caused by “turbo cancer” brought on by the Covid vaccine.
There is no evidence to support the claim that Parton’s death had anything to do with the vaccine. Parton, 80, died after “a short battle with cancer,” her family said in a statement. In May, Parton shared that she was responding well to treatment related to her immune system and digestive system.
In 2020, the singer donated 1milliontofundresearchinsupportofthevaccine.Thefollowingyear,shefilmedherselfgettingthevaccine,singinganadaptedversionofherhitsongJolenebeforereceivingtheshot.“Vaccine,vaccine,vaccine,vaccine,I′mbeggingofyou,pleasedon′thesitate,"Parton[sang](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjbSWebA3Ko)inavideo.Now,anumberofinfluentialright−wingconspiracytheoristsandMAGA−alignedpunditshavespentthepastfewdaysclaiming—or,inmanycases,suggesting—thatthevaccinekilledParton.“WasDollyPartonyetanotherCovidvaccinevictim?”far−rightradiohostWayneAllynRoot,whorecently[interviewedPresidentDonaldTrump](https://www.mediamatters.org/election−denial−voter−fraud−and−suppression/trump−says−stranger−things−have−happened−after−wayne)onhisshow,[wroteonX](https://x.com/RealWayneRoot/status/2092405651565928868)."ShetookthevaxxonTV.Shechangedthenameofherhitsong′JoleneJolene′to′Vaccine,Vaccine.′Sheencouragedfanstogetit.Nowshe′sdeadofcancer.Thissoundslikeanothercaseof′turbocancer.RIPDolly.”(Earlierthismonth,RooturgedTrumptodeclareanationalemergencyduringthemidtermswhenhehadthepresidentonhisshow.“Letmejustsay,strangerthingshavehappened,OK?”Trumpresponded.)“DollyPartonthoughtshewasdoingtherightthingbybackingtheModernamRNACovidshot,”TobyRogers,whoworkswiththeBrownstoneInstitute,athinktankfoundedtoopposeCovidrestrictionsandwhichhas[deepties](https://kffhealthnews.org/public−health/the−week−in−brief−brownstone−institute−covid−contrarian−clubhouse/)totheTrumpadministration,[wroteonX](https://x.com/uTobian/status/2092350266293285049).“Butitverywellmayhavekilledher.”TheBrownstoneInstitutewasfoundedbyJeffreyTucker,acloseallyof[HealthSecretaryRobertF.KennedyJr.](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/18/brownstone−tucker−kennedy−rfk−maha−00614274),whohas[longunderminedtrustinavarietyofvaccines](https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/how−rfk−jr−is−systematically−undermining−vaccines−around−the−world/).WhileKennedyhasnotcommentedpubliclyonParton’sdeath,hehasspentrecentdays[blamingtheCovidlockdowns](https://newrepublic.com/post/214781/robert−f−kennedy−jr−measles−under−control−two−people−die)formeasles−relateddeaths,afterthe[measles−relateddeathsoftwounvaccinatedpeople](https://www.wired.com/story/us−recorded−first−measles−deaths−2026/)inPennsylvaniathisweek.ValerieAnneSmith,ahealthinfluencerwith273,000followersonX,sharedmultiplepostsaboutParton’sdeath,allofthemsuggestingthattheCovid−19vaccinewasthecauseofherdeath.“Soonafterbeinginjectedshedevelopedsevereautoimmune,liverandkidneyissues,”Smith[wrote](https://x.com/ValerieAnne1970/status/2092660136221323564).“Causeofdeath...CANCER.”“DollyPartonwasasuniversallybelovedasapersoncanbe,”TravisView,cohostoftheQAnonAnonymouspodcast,tellsWIRED.“That’sexactlywhatmadeheratargetforconspiracistsonline.Manyanti−vaccineconspiracytheoristsdespisedPartonbecauseshenotonlyencouragedotherstogetthevaccine,sheevenhelpedfundvaccinedevelopment.”TheconspiracytheorieswerenotlimitedtoX.FacebookwasalsofloodedwithwildallegationsaboutParton’sdeath,noneofwhichprovidedanyevidencetobackuptheirclaims.Oneofthemostpopularthemesfocusedona[video](https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/40171532/dolly−parton−instagram−last−video−before−death/)PartonmadejustweeksbeforeherdeathinwhichshethankedpopstarTaylorSwiftandherhusband,NFLstarTravisKelce,fortheir[2 million donation to Imagination Library](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/dolly-parton-thanks-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-donation-1235588909/), Parton’s childhood literacy charity. She jokingly also asked the couple if she could have their “firstborn” child.
The conspiracy theories focused on a brief moment in the video when Parton was moving her hands. Some social media users claimed that if paused, the video showed her making a “devil horns,” sign. The still image has been posted dozens of times on Facebook in recent days, garnering tens of thousands of likes and shares.
“Nothing to see here, folks, just Dolly Parton—the same woman who dropped $1 million to help fund the Moderna Covid vaccine—flashing devil horns while casually demanding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s firstborn child,” an anonymous X account named Red Pill USA wrote, adding: “It’s a big Satanic club … and you ain’t in it.” The post has been viewed almost 1 million times.
On YouTube, conspiracy theorist David Nino Rodriguez, who has 613,000 followers, also referenced the Taylor Swift video and dedicated his show on Wednesday to claims that Parton’s death had been prophesied, and that it was a “marker for what comes next.”
“Some of these theories came specifically from her advocacy for the Covid vaccine and gay rights, and they’re pretty rare when balanced with the outpouring of love,” Mike Rothschild, an author who writes about conspiracy theories, tells WIRED. “But a lot of what was said about Dolly was just standard-issue brain rot. There is a small part of the internet that now believes nobody dies without some involvement from the Covid vaccine, trafficking, or Satanism.”
Comments
Back to top
