During the buildup to the 2023 ACM Awards, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks had a little fun with it being co-host Brooks' "first time" with a suggestive yet silly promo video. During Thursday night's (May 11) broadcast, the routine became a tad more risque, and this time, Trisha Yearwood joined her spouse as a butt of the joke.
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The segment began with Parton and Brooks praising many of their fellow Country Music Hall of Famers as G.O.A.Ts (the greatest of all time). Parton found out that Brooks wasn't talking about literal goats after she wheeled one onstage in a wagon. So, she figured out another possible meaning for the acronym.
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"I just had a thought. I know why you're doing that G.O.A.T. thing!" Parton said. "I think it stands for 'Garth organized a threesome!'"
"And I thought I couldn't love you anymore!" Brooks responded while trying not to blush.
Parton had already tested the bawdry humor waters by saying she'd heard that she was the "hall pass" --which in polite terms means that any intimacy would not break the bonds of marriage-- for not just Brooks but also Yearwood.
Parton's aw-shucks humor took the backseat at times to genuine sincerity. During a tribute to Loretta Lynn and Naomi Judd, Parton sang "Precious Memories" a cappella after reflecting on her dearly-departed friends. She closed the show with the premiere of socially-aware stadium rock ballad "World on Fire," which will appear on the recent Rock Hall inductee's forthcoming album Rockstar.
For the second year in a row, the ACM Awards streamed exclusively on Amazon's Prime Video. Not being on network TV likely allowed Parton's dirty joke --and the swearing in Ashley McBryde and friends' "Bonfire at Tina's"-- to make it on air.
