Parton announced the dedication at the ceremony in Las Vegas on Monday night (March 7) before asking the crowd to “take a serious moment” to reflect and pray for Ukraine before the ceremony began.
The 9 to 5 singer later joked that she would “rather pass a kidney stone” than get political, but expressed her desire to use her platform to spread “love and hope” to all of those affected by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Parton joins the celebrity ranks of JK Rowling end Benedict Cumberbatch in showing their support for Ukraine. The ‘Harry Potter’ author pledged to match up to one million pounds in donations for an emergency appeal orchestrated through her Lumos Foundation charity.
Actress Mila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, also set up a fund to support Ukrainian refugees with her husband, Ashton Kutcher, pledging to match donations up to $3 million.