Dolly Parton Says She Doesn't Want to Run for President: 'We've Had Enough Boobs in the White House'

"I'm not smart enough to be in politics, or maybe I'm too smart," said Parton in a new interview with Metro

Dolly Parton attends the 58th Academy Of Country Music Awards at The Ford Center at The Star on May 11, 2023 in Frisco, Texas
Dolly Parton in Texas in May 2023. Photo:

Jason Kempin/Getty 

The next presidential election won't include Dolly Parton on the ballot.

In a new interview with Metro, the country icon opened up about her feelings toward running for President of the United States after criticizing politicians on her recent single "World on Fire," declaring that she's not interested.

"No. I don’t think anybody could actually do a great job at that. I think we’ve had enough ‘boobs’ in the White House," Parton, 77, told the outlet. "I would have no interest in politics."

The "Jolene" singer-songwriter prefers sticking to the craft that's earned her a slot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as 11 Grammy awards. "I try to do my thing through my songs, through the way I accept people and the way I try to make a difference," she explained.

Parton revealed the reasons she doesn't consider herself a viable option to step into the Oval Office. "I’m not smart enough to be in politics, or maybe I’m too smart. Either way, I’m not qualified for that type of a job," she said. "But I’m pretty qualified to do what I do, which is to point people in the right direction, to write about it in songs or speak about things."

Without becoming an official leader, Parton has undeniably made an incredible impact on the world through her music, philanthropy and more. "I like to think all of it has been important," said the superstar of her work elsewhere in the Metro interview. "But my favorite thing that I do is my Imagination Library that I started back in 1995 with my dad, who couldn’t read and write."

Dolly Parton attends the Dolly Parton Album Press Conference at Four Seasons Hotel
Dolly Parton in London in June 2023.

Mike Marsland/WireImage

Through the charity, part of her Dollywood Foundation, the 9 to 5 star has helped children in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and Ireland learn to read. "It’s a literacy program where we give books to children from the time they’re born until they start school — once a month, they get a book in the mail," said Parton. "It can pull families together, as well as helping a child get a head start. We’ve given away more than 200 million books to date — I’m really proud of that."

Last year, the "Coat of Many Colors" performer became the first female entertainer to be honored with the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy for her work with the Imagination Library. At the time, she spoke to PEOPLE about wanting to help her hometown of Sevier County, Tennessee, with the charity, especially following her dad's experience with illiteracy.

"That always made me feel bad about my dad, so I started it based on that, just for our county," Parton told PEOPLE. "Governor Phil Bredesen thought it was a great idea, so they took it statewide. It's just grown in leaps and bounds ever since then, but it came from a place in my heart to try to help children in their young years, their most impressionable years, to learn how to read and write."

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