Dolly Parton’s Cheerleader Outfit Made Her Husband Carl Dean ‘Jealous’

Dolly Parton gave fans a show — and an outfit — to remember on Thanksgiving, when she rocked a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader uniform to perform the halftime show for the Cowboys' game against the Washington Commanders.

Her much-buzzed-about ensemble, which was complete with belted white shorts and a sparkly, midriff-baring blue top, gave viewers a lot to talk about. Apparently, it gave Carl Dean, Parton's husband of 57 years, a lot to talk about, too.

"It turned out pretty cool and my husband liked it. He said, 'Those shorts were a little too short,'" Parton jokes to People in a new interview. "I said, 'Jealous?'"

All jokes aside, Dean's got decades of experience being a big fan of his superstar wife, and he's used to taking all the public opinion about her and her buzzworthy looks in stride.

"I said, 'They weren't as short as the other girls'!' He was just being funny," she continues. "I think he thought — because everybody's making a to-do over it — he thought, well, maybe you shouldn't be showing your butt at that age. But anyway, he got a kick out of it, too."

Parton performed a one-two punch of a couple of her greatest hits, "9 to 5" and "Jolene," during her halftime show performance at the Cowboys-Commanders game. She also gave her special cheerleader look its moment in the spotlight, saying, "Y'all like my outfit?" as she took the stage before encouraging the two football teams to "stop fighting long enough to say hello to me."

After the show, a member of Parton's team revealed that her outfit was a surprise — even to most of them. Many members of Parton's own staff were shocked when she walked out on the field in a cheerleader ensemble. It's not clear whether or not Dean was in on the secret ahead of time.