CNN Apologizes After Mistakenly Airing Photo of Dolly Parton Impersonator During Coverage of Singer’s Death

CNN has issued an apology to Dolly Parton’s family after mistakenly airing a photo of an impersonator during broadcast coverage of the country music icon’s death, according to Deadline. Parton died on Tuesday at age 80, and that night’s episode of Laura Coates Live included imagery that the network later acknowledged was incorrect.

Deadline reports that the program featured a photo of Kelly Vohnn, a Dolly Parton celebrity impersonator based in Las Vegas. The impersonator’s photo was shown in the course of coverage focused on Parton, whose death prompted widespread tributes and expanded audience attention across broadcast and digital platforms.

After the error was identified, CNN apologized to Parton’s family, Deadline said. The report describes the apology as a response to the network’s mistake in connecting the wrong image to the singer’s passing.

The incident highlights how quickly misinformation can spread even within mainstream news operations, particularly during breaking news windows when production teams assemble assets in real time. In this case, a visual mismatch led to a request for correction and an apology rather than a debate over disputed facts about Parton’s death itself.

CNN’s coverage of celebrity deaths and cultural figures often relies on photographs and archive graphics, and the reported episode underscores the importance of image verification for high-profile subjects when emotions are heightened for families and audiences. In the same way that inaccurate text can mislead, an incorrect photograph can imply a different identity or relationship than intended.

Deadline’s account indicates that the network treated the airing as a procedural mistake and responded directly to the family with an apology. The report did not describe additional legal action or formal penalties tied to the incident, but it placed emphasis on the need to correct the record and acknowledge harm from the error.

As of publication, CNN’s apology to the family and the reported correction for the misaired photo are the most specific details cited publicly. Viewers who watched the segment and family representatives have not been the subject of further documented statements in the report beyond CNN’s apology.