Dolly Parton doesn't "want to be worshipped" by her fans.
Dolly Parton is happy to lead by example
The '9 to 5' hitmaker insisted she isn't "all that" and admitted it makes her "cringe" when she sees people put celebrities on pedestals and "worship them more than they worship God".
Speaking to PEOPLE magazine after being named one of the publication's People of the Year, she said: "I have to honestly tell you, I was a little bit skeptical of being put on the cover as one of the People of the Year.
"Because that's a lot of pressure. But, yeah, it's like, I am not all that. I'm glad that I stand for enough stuff to where I'm not the worst person in the world.
"But I don't want to be worshiped, because there's a scripture in my Bible that talks about idol worship.
"And I see that happening all the time with movie stars and these celebrities. People literally worship them more than they worship God. And I just — I cringe at it sometimes."
However, she's happy to inspire people through her own actions.
She added: "But if I can set an example, then that's great."
The 75-year-old singer - who has a production deal with Netflix, her own beauty business and fragrance, a book co-written with James Patterson, and her music career - donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University late last year, which helped fund research for the Moderna vaccine.
She said: "I'm kind of addicted to the feeling of giving. Knowing that I'm doing something good for someone else."
And when it comes to her business, Dolly explained how her outlook is to be open to getting the right people on board to cover her own shortcomings.
She said: "I have all kinds of companies, like Dollywood. It was my idea to have Dollywood, to have a theme park, but I knew I didn't know anything about running it, but I knew I would find people.
"So I always do that, though, with anything. I hire people. I see what I need and what I want, but I know I can't do all that myself."
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