- Netflix confirmed that Dolly Parton will guest star on the seventh and final season of Grace and Frankie.
- The country singer is excited to reunite with 9 to 5 costars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
- The episode will air in 2022 when Netflix releases the final episodes of its original series.
As Grace and Frankie ends filming the seventh and final season, we can’t help but wonder how the writers will wrap up the tangled lives of our two favorite families. But Netflix shared one final surprise for fans we just especially can’t wait for: Dolly Parton will guest star.
Yes, it’s true! The streaming service confirmed on Twitter Friday afternoon that the “Jolene” singer will have a role in the heartwarming series. Netflix shared a photo of the show’s lead actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin alongside Parton with the announcement.
“It’s finally happening. Dolly Parton will appear in the seventh and final season of Grace and Frankie,” Netflix tweeted along with the photo.
Though the Queen of Country is well known for her best-selling albums, Parton has appeared in many movies, including (what we think just might be) her most iconic role to date: 9 to 5, where she starred alongside Grace and Frankie stars Fonda and Tomlin. So when superstars like Mary Steenburgen, Lisa Kudrow, Marsha Mason, and more joined the cast of Grace and Frankie for a guest appearance, fans hypothesized and hoped for Parton’s turn on the show.
When Parton herself revealed her role in Grace and Frankie during an interview with Lorraine, fans of the musician were ecstatic to see the trio reunite yet again. “I’ve been trying to do Grace and Frankie for years,” she said in the interview, “We worked so well together on 9 to 5, it’s a crazy wonderful show.”
With Parton on board to join the leads of the show, she simply had to wait for COVID-19 restrictions to lift and production of season seven to continue so she could make her debut. “We’ve been trying to write me in somehow,” she said. “So when it’s safe for us to actually do a production when they’re back, I’ll probably get around to doing that.”
But Parton’s announcement didn’t come as such a shock to avid viewers of Grace and Frankie. Tomlin hinted at the news earlier this year during an interview with Today, where she suggested Parton’s role had already been written into the final season’s script.
“We’ve got a great role for her this time. I think she will do it. I’m just hoping she will,” she said. “And we hope she can do it and we think she can do it by remote.”
So, when the first four episodes of Grace and Frankie season seven dropped earlier this year, fans anxiously awaited Parton’s cameo. We can't wait for the season's final 12 episodes, and particularly for Parton to appear!
Netflix has yet to announce when and in what capacity Parton will guest star, but her Internet Movie Database page suggests she will appear in Episode #7.5. Fans will just have to wait and see when the remaining episodes are released in 2022.
We're counting down the days!
Arielle Weg is the associate editor at Prevention and loves to share her favorite wellness and nutrition obsessions. She previously managed content at The Vitamin Shoppe, and her work has also appeared in Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Cooking Light, MyRecipes, and more. You can usually find her taking an online workout class or making a mess in the kitchen, creating something delicious she found in her cookbook collection or saved on Instagram.
