Belying her age with a daring cheerleading outfit, country icon Dolly Parton sent the crowd wild at the halftime show of the Commanders-Cowboys game in Dallas on Thanksgiving.
The 77-year-old took center stage in a small blue and white top, and mini shorts, at AT&T Stadium with the Cowboys leading 20-10 against Washington on Thursday.
Parton sang two of her biggest hits, ‘Jolene’ and ‘9 to 5’, and also belted out ‘We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You’, in front of a sold-out crowd in Texas.
Fans were blown away by her short live performance, with Undisputed’s Skip Bayless among the first on X (formerly Twitter) to praise Parton.
‘How ’bout that Dolly Parton,’ the sports analyst posted. ‘Talk about dressing for the occasion. Now that is is impressive.’
Dolly Parton singing during halftime of the Cowboys-Commanders on Thanksgiving in Dallas
The 77-year-old country icon donned the Cowboys’ blue and white colors at AT&T Stadium
Parton sang a few of her classics, including ‘Jolene’ and ‘9 to 5’ to the amazement of NFL fans
Parton performed in front of a group of Cowboys cheerleaders in front of a sold-out crowd
Parton was on center stage while players of the Cowboys & Commanders regrouped at the half
Before her halftime show, Parton wore red and black to feature in an ad for the Salvation Army
‘Joe Biden is 81. Donald Trump is 77. If we have to elect an old person, let it be Dolly Parton,’ another added, with the US elections fast approaching.
Another fan, meanwhile, labeled her a ‘queen’ and one called her a ‘national treasure’ as the performance left the majority of fans impressed.
In the CBS booth, announcer Tony Romo couldn’t hide his enthusiasm discussing Parton’s halftime Thanksgiving performance.
After watching the 77-year-old wow Dallas in her cheerleading outfit, Romo and Jim Nantz discussed the show in the booth – and the former made his feelings very clear.
‘She was wearing the… Cowboys cheerleading outfit,’ he began, while addressing Nantz in the booth. ‘You saw that coming, didn’t you?
‘You said, “I think she’s going to go with a liiiittle cheerleading outfit tonight”, and I was like, “wow, pretty good.”‘
Jim Nantz (L) looked awkward in the booth as Tony Romo waxed lyrical about Parton’s display
Parton spreads her arms wide as she takes in her surroundings at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas
Despite being 77, Parton danced around the stage in front of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders
She belted out her hits, including 9-5 and Jolene, in a halftime performance for the ages
Nantz then tried to change the conversation by asking, ‘what do you think we’re going to see second half?’, but Romo wasn’t yet ready to move on, adding: ‘I mean, she looks amazing, right? She’s wonderful. Who doesn’t like Dolly Parton?’
Parton’s live performance was a far cry from Jack Harlow’s, as the majority of fans at the Green Bay Packers’ upset win against rival, the Detroit Lions, were unimpressed by the rapper’s halftime appearance.
To round out America’s annual fall holiday, DJ Steve Aoki will perform during halftime of the late-night matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
The Commanders-Cowboys rivalry has been a common theme on Thanksgiving Day, as it has been played 10 times in the past.
Dallas won eight of those games, and again on Thursday night, 45-10.