Dolly Parton's Team Calls out CBD Scammers Using Her Name and Likeness

02/01/2023 09:19 pm EST

Dolly Parton has not endorsed CBD gummies or keto products, her team clarified on social media Wednesday evening. The country music icon's name image was being used by scammers who claimed she endorsed these products. Scammers have used several celebrity names and images for CBD gummy and keto oil product scams without their permission in the past.

"Dolly Parton is not affiliated with, has not endorsed, and is not associated with any keto or CBD gummy product," Parton's representatives shared on the "Jolene" singer's social media pages. "She's more the cake, cookie, and cornbread type."

In recent months, Facebook ads began circulating claiming there were "allegations against country superstar Dolly Parton" that was "confirmed" and that she "endorsed CBD gummies," reports Snopes. These included photos of Parton, 77, and linked to a website made to look like Fox News' website. The site included the grammatically incorrect headline "Dolly Parton reverses dementia solution sparks huge lawsuit pressure on Fox, she finally fights back on air." The page included a fake news story claiming Parton had a testy interview with anchor Martha MacCallum. Of course, none of this is true. Every part of it is made up by scammers.

The scam page included a list of specific CBD products Parton supposedly endorsed. Scammers have also used images of Mayim Bialik, Ree Drummond, Reba McEntire, Tom Selleck, Blake Shelton, Keanu Reeves, and many others who have never endorsed CBD products. Scammers used their images without their permission.

The most high-profile example of a celebrity being used to sell CBD products without their permission involves Clint Eastwood. In October 2021, Eastwood and Garrapata, the company that manages rights to the icon's likeness, won a $6.1 million lawsuit against a Lithuanian company that published a fake interview claiming Eastwood endorsed their CBD products. In July 2022, Eastwood and Garrapta won a $2 million judgment against Norok Innovation, which used Eastwood's image to drive traffic to its online CBD shop.

"Without Mr. Eastwood's knowledge or permission, online retailers of CBD products strategically placed Mr. Eastwood's name within blog posts and webpage meta descriptions (text that describes and summarizes the contents of a given webpage for the benefit of users and search engines to locate) as a means to promote CBD products and guide customers to an online marketplace that sells CBD products," the complaint read, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Eastwood's team sought $3 million, but the judge decided it was "not unreasonable in relation to Defendants' unlawful conduct of exploiting and misusing Plaintiff's rights for their own commercial gain."

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