Joy Behar, who a year ago referred to a woman as a b*** for being denied access to a first-class lounge and “reduced to coach,” recently criticized Dolly Parton’s famous song “Jolene” as “anti-feminist.”
In addition to taking shots at the classic 1973 hit, the co-host of *The View* praised Beyoncé’s iteration of the song, which reminds the fictional Jolene, “you don’t want no heat with me.”
Keep reading to learn what Behar is saying about the catchy tune, “Jolene!”
In April 2023, after returning from a two-week vacation in Italy, the long-time panelist of *The View* inadvertently shared an anti-feminist comment she made to a woman while there.
“The people are nice, here and there. I had to call one woman the b-word, but that’s something else,” the 81-year-old told her co-hosts. When Whoopi Goldberg asked if she voiced her complaints in English or Italian, Behar responded, “I said it in English because she wouldn’t let me pee in the first-class lounge. I said, ‘Please, let me just go!’ I said, ‘Listen, don’t be a bitch.’ She wouldn’t let me go.”
Though Behar didn’t specify if she was on a plane or a train, she did complain about being “reduced to coach.”
A warning not a plea
In April 2024, the opinionated Behar went after the much-loved country music song, Jolene by the beloved 78-year-old Dolly Parton, saying the song’s lyrics suggest anti-feminism.
First crediting herself as the person “that made Dolly Parton admit she was a feminist,” Behar next compares the legendary song to Beyoncé’s recent reinterpretation of Jolene, on her album Cowboy Carter.
While both versions of the song deal with the threat of infidelity, Parton pleads with Jolene not to take her man, whereas Beyoncé warns Jolene, “you don’t want no heat with me.”
Instead of Parton’s line, “I’m begging of you, please don’t take my man,” the Houston native sings, “I’m warnin’ you, woman, find you your own man.”
“I like the subject of Beyoncé taking over the lyrics,” Behar told *The View* producer Brian Teta on an episode of the *Behind the Table* podcast. “Because the original thing with Dolly Parton is so, like, anti-feminist, worrying about some good-looking woman taking your man. If it’s so easy to take your man, then take him.”
She adds, “Beyoncé says, if you take my man, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble. I say, go ahead, take my man. Take him.”
Behar’s comments about the iconic song sent fans spiraling.
“Who is Joy Behar? I have never heard of her. Oh, I have heard of Dolly Parton, and I like her very much… I personally don’t like most country music, but Dolly’s ‘Jolene’ is one of the ones I do like,” writes one netizen.
A second commenter shares, “Beyoncé needs to stay in her lane! Dolly is a class act and a wonderful, kind, and caring human being!! Joy needs to retire!!!”
“I love Dolly Parton and her music. Joy Behar can go fly a kite; she doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” snipes a third.
Referencing Behar’s ‘anti-feminist’ comments, another writes, “I’m anti-Joy Behar! Anybody else?”
Dolly’s Interlude
Beyoncé’s release wasn’t meant to spark a rivalry between the two icons. In fact, Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene” is introduced by Parton herself in a brief interlude.
“Hey, Miss Honeybee, it’s Dolly P. You know that hussy with the good hair you sang about reminded me of someone I knew back when,” Parton says with her lovable Southern twang. “Except she has flaming locks of auburn hair. Bless her heart. Just a hair of a different color, but it hurts just the same.”
When Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” dropped, the country music legend expressed her enthusiasm for the release of “Jolene” with an Instagram post.
She writes, “Wow, I just heard ‘Jolene.’ Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble, and she deserves it! Love, Dolly P.”
Beyoncé or Dolly?
Fans are divided over the two versions, with some suggesting Beyoncé’s lyrics are too aggressive.
“[The] original version has class, intelligence, and subtlety. It’s aggression,” writes one person.
A second netizen quips, “Jolene flirted with the wrong man in 1973 and hasn’t known peace since.”
A third, agreeing with Behar’s sentiments, writes, “I quite love this version because who begs a woman not to take their man because she can? Unrelatable to a lot of people… Beyoncé’s entire brand is about strong women. They are both phenomenal in my opinion.”
Meanwhile, some people are still unsettled by Queen Bey crossing into the country music genre.
“Beyoncé needs to STOP and go back to her own music style… country music fans don’t want her!”
What are your thoughts on the new “Jolene”?
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