Dolly Parton to Miss 2025 Governors Awards Due to Scheduling Conflict

Dolly Parton will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's Governors Awards in November but will not attend the ceremony in person due to a longstanding scheduling conflict, not directly because of her health. Despite recent reports linking her absence to health issues, Parton's representatives clarified that she informed the Academy of her scheduling conflict in June and even requested postponing the honor until 2026 so she could attend in person. Parton is currently postponing six December Las Vegas concerts to September 2026 due to unspecified health challenges requiring procedures, but she assured fans she is not retiring and plans to continue working on projects remotely from Nashville. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award honors individuals whose humanitarian efforts have positively impacted the motion picture industry and society; Parton was recognized for her charitable work including founding the Dollywood Foundation and the Imagination Library literacy program. The Governors Awards ceremony is scheduled for November 16 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom, where other honorees include Tom Cruise, Debbie Allen, and Wynn Thomas. Parton's publicist emphasized that her absence from the event is unrelated to her health problems, which are being managed separately from her professional commitments.