Dolly Parton, the beloved country music icon, recently addressed a concerning trend: the proliferation of online advertisements falsely claiming her endorsement of Keto and CBD gummies promising various health benefits, including dementia prevention and weight loss. These deceptive ads, often featuring realistic-looking reports and doctored photos, have been circulating online, prompting Parton to set the record straight with a touch of her signature humor.
The False Claims
Reports have been spreading around the internet that the 77-year-old superstar endorses Keto oils and CBD gummies that promise to prevent dementia. The ads feature realistic-looking reports and photos of Dolly claiming that she went on television to publicly endorse the products. Snopes fact-checked the claims and posted an article addressing the topic, calling the "allegations" against Dolly "false," "spammy," and "completely fictional."
These advertisements often employ sophisticated tactics to appear legitimate, including mimicking news reports and using altered images to create the illusion of Parton's endorsement. This type of scam is not new, as other celebrities like Blake Shelton, Reba McIntire, Tom Selleck, Ree Drummond, and Keanu Reeves have also been victims of similar false reports.
Dolly's Response
Dolly herself spoke out about the claims and shared a message with her fans on Instagram. And she included a bit of her trademark humor in the statement. Dolly's message says, "Dolly Parton is not affiliated with, has not endorsed and is not associated with any keto or CBD gummy product. She's more the cake, cookie, and cornbread type. -Team Dolly"
Her statement, shared on Instagram, firmly denies any association with Keto or CBD gummy products. Injecting her characteristic wit, Parton declared herself "more the cake, cookie, and cornbread type," effectively distancing herself from the health supplement industry.
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Fan Support
Fans flooded Dolly's comments section with supportive messages, like, "Who is after our queen 😭?," "This is the most drama Dolly ever will get involved with 💅," and "I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll throw hands." Gwen Stefani chimed in with, "I love u gx" The response from Parton's fans was overwhelmingly supportive, with many expressing outrage at the misuse of her image. Some fans even humorously suggested the potential success of genuine Dolly Parton-branded CBD products.
The Broader Context of Celebrity Endorsement Scams
Dolly is far from the first celebrity to face these types of false claims. According to Snopes, Blake Shelton, Reba McIntire, Tom Selleck, Ree Drummond, and Keanu Reeves have all experienced similar false reports. The exploitation of celebrity images and reputations to promote dubious products is a widespread issue. Scammers often target well-known figures to lend credibility to their offerings, regardless of whether the celebrity has any actual connection to the product. "I don't take weight-loss pills and I don’t take drugs and don’t use marijuana creams and all this stuff,” says shark and Canadian businessman O’Leary, 69.
The popular ABC show, whose 16th season premieres Oct. 18 (and streams the next day on Hulu), features tycoons like Cuban, Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran and Daymond John, who listen to energetic pitches from entrepreneurs hoping for funding to help launch their products - wine that pairs perfectly with pizza, for example, or a yellow sponge with a smiley face. If the investors like the concept, they’ll invest. It’s helped some make millions, including makers of the wildly successful Bombas socks, the Squatty Potty (for easier pooping), and that happy sponge that appeared on the show in 2012. Scammers are well aware that a thumbs-up from the sharks can mean big money. So they are relentless in their use of fake Shark Tank seals of approval to sell products, pitch crypto investments, or encourage people to sign up for business courses. The products pitched with bogus Shark Tank approval are sometimes hair-growth or libido-enhancement supplements, but often are those claiming to promote weight loss. Some ads are more ridiculous than others, including one featuring a doctored photo of six famous sharks from the show (John, Corcoran, Cuban, Greiner, O’Leary and Herjavec), their slightly too-large heads perched atop slim and buff underwear-clad bodies. The sharks are fed up with the fraud.
The Allure of "Shark Tank"
Investor and entrepreneur Greiner and Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, never have endorsed keto gummies, which are supplements sold with claims that they can help with weight loss, energy, focus and more (“keto” refers to the controversial high-fat, very-low-carb ketogenic diet regimen). “I can tell you, we don’t put keto diet pills on our show,” says Shark Tank executive producer Clay Newbill.
A Reminder to Be Vigilant
Take this as another reminder to be careful about what you read on the Internet! And, when in doubt, listen to Dolly. This incident serves as a crucial reminder to exercise caution when encountering online advertisements, especially those making sensational claims or featuring celebrity endorsements. It is essential to verify information from reliable sources and be wary of anything that seems too good to be true.
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Dolly's Culinary Ventures
Though Parton's post confirms she's yet to join forces with keto or CBD distributors, the superstar recently "joined forces with Duncan Hines for the release of southern-inspired cake mixes as well as frostings, which quickly sold out online. In a statement about the line last month, she noted that she has always " loved to cook and, growing up in the South, I especially love that authentic Mom and Pop kind of cooking." Parton has long been open about her love of food, even releasing a cookbook in 2006 titled "Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s: Love, Laughter, and Lots of Good Food." She's previously talked about cooking for her coworkers while on location as well. "I cook a lot when I’m on my movie sets,” she told TODAY.com in January 2022. "I have this huge big pot, and I make chicken and dumplings. I’m famous for it, so everybody wants me to make that or a peanut butter fudge that I love and take on set with me. Everybody asks, ‘When are you going to do the dumplings?’ I always announce it a couple of days before so they all look forward to it.
While Parton has steered clear of endorsing weight loss products, she has embraced her passion for Southern cuisine through collaborations like her partnership with Duncan Hines for Southern-inspired cake mixes and frostings. This venture aligns with her well-known love of cooking and her Southern roots, as documented in her cookbook, "Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s: Love, Laughter, and Lots of Good Food."
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