CNN has apologized to Dolly Parton’s family after the network mistakenly aired a photo of a tribute artist while reporting on the country music icon’s death.
The error occurred Tuesday during an edition of Laura Coates Live, as CNN correspondent Shimon Prokupecz reported live from Nashville. A montage of images was shown during the coverage, but one of the photos was not Parton. It was Canadian-born tribute artist Kelly Vohnn, who performs as a Dolly Parton impersonator.
Parton died Tuesday, August 25, at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer. News of her death prompted an outpouring of tributes to the country music legend.
CNN apologizes to Parton family
The photo mistakenly used by CNN showed Vohnn at a screening of Song Sung Blue in Las Vegas in December 2025. The film, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, tells the story of the real-life Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder.
CNN acknowledged the mistake and apologized to Parton’s family.
“We regret the error and apologize to the Parton family,” a CNN spokesperson told Fox News Digital and The New York Post.
The photograph appeared roughly 12 hours after news of Parton’s death had been announced, according to multiple reports.
Kelly Vohnn was stunned to see herself on CNN
Vohnn learned about the mistake when friends began sending her messages saying they had seen her on CNN.
“I started getting all these texts in from friends saying that I was on CNN, and I couldn’t believe it,” Vohnn told The New York Post.
For Vohnn, the mix-up came at an especially emotional moment. She was mourning Parton’s death and said she felt sorry for Parton and her family that CNN had selected an inappropriate image for its tribute.
Vohnn described the experience as “weird” and said it was “quite embarrassing, to be honest.”
The tribute artist has also made clear that she has never presented herself as the real Parton. Vohnn said she has always been known as an impersonator and has never attempted to mislead audiences about her identity.
The incident has drawn attention to the unusual challenge posed by tribute performers who closely resemble the stars they portray. In this case, however, the image was used in a news report about Parton herself, making the mistake particularly conspicuous.
Vohnn said she was deeply saddened by Parton’s death and expressed her admiration for the singer and the influence she had on her life and career.