Kacey Musgraves will lead a Dolly Parton tribute at the 2026 VMAs

Kacey Musgraves will lead a Dolly Parton tribute at the 2026 VMAs

Kacey Musgraves will honour Dolly Parton at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday 27th September.

Kacey Musgraves will lead a tribute to Dolly Parton at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday 27th September. It will be the country star’s first onstage appearance at the ceremony in five years, following Parton’s death in August.

Musgraves has already been marking Parton’s influence on her current ‘Middle of Nowhere’ tour, performing ‘Here You Come Again’ and ‘9 to 5’ at its Boston and New York stops. At Madison Square Garden, she told the audience: “I’m not over it, and I’m never gonna be over it,” calling Parton “the closest thing we’ve ever had to royalty.”

Rolling Stone first reported the tribute and Musgraves’ recent tour performances. In the days after Parton’s death, Musgraves wrote on X: “The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden. Dolly. This really really hurts.” She also reflected on Parton being reunited with her husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.

The appearance comes as Musgraves is nominated for Best Country for ‘Dry Spell’, from her sixth album ‘Middle of Nowhere’. Released in May via L...