Country music icon Dolly Parton had the most pure reaction to hearing she was related to her honorary goddaughter, pop singer Miley Cyrus.
During an interview with Access Hollywood, Parton was informed that she and the "Teen Queen" of the 2000s were seventh cousins once removed, according to a DNA test result from Ancestry.com.
"Is that true?" asked the pleasantly surprised "9 to 5" singer, adding, "That's amazing."
According to the genealogy company, Parton was related to Cyrus through a shared ancestor who lived approximately 20 miles from Parton's Dollywood theme park in Tennessee.
Their mutual relative, Parton's sixth great-grandfather and Miley's seventh great-grandfather, was a man named John Brickey, who was born in Virginia in 1740 and died in Tennessee in 1806.
Here's a clip featuring the moment she discovers the family bloodline news.
Parton continued in response to the revelation:
"We’re so close, Miley and I. I would’ve thought we’d have been at least third cousins, 10 times removed."
"I'm sure she'll get a kick out of that."
"But it doesn’t surprise me because she does feel like family," she added.
Fans weren't surprised either, given the fun rapport they've always shared.
Parton and her younger sister appeared on Access Hollywood to promote their new cookbook Good Lookin' Cookin': A Year Of Meals and to talk about their sisterly bond.
You can watch a longer video of the interview here.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Parton and Cyrus have always been a presence in each other's lives.
Parton made regular appearances on Cyrus' Disney Channel show Hannah Montana as Aunt Dolly, they've released music together, like Cyrus' 2017 song "Rainbowland" and Parton's 2020 holiday tune "Christmas Is," and both co-hosted NBC's New Year's Eve special in 2022.
No wonder these two special ladies have always been so tight.
@PreetBharara/X
@RepBrendanBoyle/X
@twesq/Bluesky
@christopherharris/Bluesky
@evangelinewarren/X
@FrankC164/X
AMC