Dolly Parton has learned her special connection with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus is even deeper than she originally thought.
Genealogy and family tree tracking site Ancestry announced on Monday that by using “billions of historical records and public family trees,” they’ve discovered that the two music powerhouses are seventh cousins, once removed.
Their common ancestor is a man named John Brickey, who was born in Virginia in 1740, according to Ancestry. Brickey is Parton’s sixth great-grandfather and Cyrus’ seventh great-grandfather.
“We’re so close, Miley and I. I’d have thought we’d have been at least third cousins,” Parton said, reacting to the revelation. “It doesn’t surprise me because she does feel like family.”
Dolly Parton is Miley Cyrus’ godmother and previously appeared on several episodes of the Disney Channel show “Hannah Montana” playing Cyrus’ aunt.
The pair have always been vocal about their closeness, something Cyrus touched on in a tribute to Parton that she penned for Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2021.
“Dolly is not only my idol because of her incomparable career. She’s also my role model because of her steadfast morals and values. She recognizes how impactful her choices will be as one of the most iconic and powerful voices in country music, and she leaves no one behind.”
Miley Cyrus
The timing of this news is poignant considering Parton is gearing up to release her new family-centric album “Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables” in November.
The album will have four-part companion docuseries that delve deeper into Parton’s ancestry, offering “an intimate look at the family’s historical journey from the UK to present-day East Tennessee, enriched by interviews with numerous family members,” according to her website.
Powerhouse Singers Usual Popular Chain Restaurant
Dolly Parton is dishing on what her goddaughter Miley Cyrus loves to eat.
The pair of powerhouse singers have been there for one another through the years, like when Parton played Aunt Dolly on “Hannah Montana,” fielding each other’s hair and fashion concerns or teaming up for performances at the Grammys. Cyrus and Parton have got each other’s backs, even in the kitchen.
“Well, Miley is a country girl, and back before she got to having to stay so skinny all the time and be slim and all that, she used to come to my house and we would eat the same kind of things that we’d talk about. I would cook the dumplings and I would cook meatloaf.”
Dolly Parton
But when they didn’t feel like cooking, they would go out to eat at a popular chain restaurant.
“(Miley) always loved going to the Cracker Barrel,” Parton says. “She called me one day and said, ‘I have to stop eating all that because I’ve got to look better, I’ve got to be healthier,’ and ‘I’ve got to do this and do that,’ but we’re just country girls.”
“So when she comes to my house now, I say, ‘You better bring your own,’” Parton continues. “I got a stove, and I got a refrigerator and you can fix your own.”
Though the “Islands in the Stream” singer has a cookbook out with her sister Rachel Parto George, in addition to her other food-based ventures like her line of baking and breakfast mixes with Duncan Hines, she says there are fast-food spots that will always remain close to her heart.
“I love Krispy Kreme and doughnuts for sure. I always have,” Parton says of the bakery chain she partnered with earlier this year. But she also loves a good drive-thru burger.
“And, of course, I like those Whoppers at Burger King, that’s always been my favorite,” she says, adding that she heard another favorite, In-N-Out Burger, will soon be making its way to Tennessee, where she lives.
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