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Dolly Parton talks retirement. (Khloe Kardashian / YouTube)

Dolly shares why she plans to keep working until the end in her signature Southern charm.

Dolly Parton recently appeared on Khloé Kardashian’s podcast, Khloé in Wonderland, which is the 23rd episode Khloé has produced since launching her new venture in January 2025.

The first episode premiered on January 8, and new episodes are released on Wednesdays. This week’s episode featured the legendary Dolly Parton, and the pair discussed everything under the sun, from their business ventures and family life to their goals for the future.

Dolly Parton has famously been involved in many business endeavors throughout her life, from her singing career to her makeup company, and one cannot forget her theme park, Dollywood.

During their hour-long interview, one question that will excite some fans is that Dolly Parton shared she will never retire.

The conversation began when Khloé Kardashian asked Dolly if she ever plans on retiring, sharing her mother Kris’s opinion on the matter, saying,

“Well, and my mom, my mom is a really hard worker. And a lot of people ask her, ‘are you going to retire?’ And she says, ‘the second I retire is the second I sort of feel like I’m going to die.’ Like mentally, the creativity, the constant moving, I really think all of that keeps everyone younger.”

RELATED: Dolly Parton & Her Husband Carl Dean Were “Best Buddies”

Dolly Parton Talks Retiring

Clearly, Kris is not a fan of the idea of retiring, and Dolly Parton agrees.

In her true Southern charm, she shared her thoughts on the matter with a fun old Southern saying when she said,

“I agree because there’s an old saying that says, ‘I would rather wear out than rust out.’ Because I think a lot of people, when they do retire, they start to rust.”

Fans of Parton would be excited to hear that the legendary country star has no plans to hang up her guitar.

She believes that when she does retire, she will gradually fade away. It’s clear she gets a monumental amount of joy from what she does.

She even shared that it makes her laugh that so many country stars have “retired” only to return a few years later.

“I’m always kind of put off a little bit or I kind of laugh. When I hear all these artists, oh, they’re on their farewell tour. Or this is the farewell. I’m retiring. So-and-so’s retiring. And they do, in about six years or so, Well, they’re back on the road.”

She ended he thoughts on retiring by saying,

“I just love life. I love people. I love my job. And I just love what I do. I just love that I can write songs. I just love that I can sing on stage and make people happy. I love that I have that gift, that I feel like is a God-given gift. There are many people more talented, but I’m going to make the most of what I got.”

Watch her interview below.

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