Dolly Parton Celebrates ‘9 to 5’ and PETA 40th Anniversaries by Awarding Costar Lily Tomlin at Holiday Party

For Immediate Release:
December 13, 2020

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Last night, Dolly Parton appeared virtually from her Tennessee home to present a PETA Humanitarian Award to Lily Tomlin. Said Dolly, “[G]reetings from Nashville! I’m joining [you all] to celebrate the anniversary of two cultural game changers that debuted 40 years ago. In December of 1980, 9 to 5 premiered and became one of the most successful comedy films of all time. Now that same year, PETA was founded and went on to become the most successful animal rights organization in the world. And one of PETA’s biggest supporters over the years has been none other than my wonderful 9 to 5 costar Lily Tomlin.”

Accepting the award, Tomlin, whose many efforts for PETA include a video as her iconic feisty phone operator Ernestine fielding complaint calls at SeaWorld, “where everybody has a whale of a time—except for the whales,” said, “In my first PETA ad, I urged people to remove the unsightly hair from their back: their fur coats. Now PETA has got people shedding their skins, from leather to exotics.” She also said, “I’ve worked with them to fight against the Iditarod, against animal experiments, to free animals from circuses and marine parks,” and “As a cause queen, I care about many issues, but when it comes to helping animals, PETA is one-stop shopping.”

Other celebrities who took part in the event to celebrate the group’s four decades of victories for animals were Mariah Carey, Paul McCartney, Iggy Pop, Chrissie Hynde, and Belinda Carlisle. Video clips are available here and more information about the event is available here.