Oprah, Julia Roberts and Sabrina Carpenter Honor Dolly Parton at CMA Tribute

Sabrina Carpenter, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey and Katy Perry paid tribute to Dolly Parton during the Country Music Association's televised celebration of the late country icon on Wednesday night. Parton died in August at the age of 80 following what her family described as a "brief battle" with cancer.

The special aired live on ABC and Disney+ and streams on Hulu the following day. More than 20 performers took the stage, among them Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Kelsea Ballerini, Darius Rucker, Lady A, Little Big Town, Kristin Chenoweth and Carly Pearce.

What did the tributes actually say?

Oprah opened the broadcast in a pre-recorded video, framing Parton through shared roots. "We're both Tennessee girls, and she represented to me the essence of being 100% who you see yourself to be. Authentic all the time, and I just loved her for it," she said. She added: "I love that she had such grace and such tenacity. I mean, listen, if she put her mind to something, that was it."

Julia Roberts, Parton's co-star in the 1989 film "Steel Magnolias," recalled filming with her. "Dolly came into my life when I was in my early 20s, and it was magical to see someone so alive, so present," Roberts said in a pre-recorded segment. "She really was a shining example of remembering who you are, where you came from, and what it means to be kind. We love her."

Katy Perry took the stage and called Parton a woman who "masterfully toyed with the power of her femininity." "Devastatingly sharp and equally as sweet, she could read you for filth with a wink and a smile, and then make sure that your children learn to read too," Perry said. "That's a mother."

Perry also addressed the phrase that anchored the evening. "Some called her the Great Unifier because she had this ability to bring people together from all walks of life, political perspectives and sexual orientations," she said. "She saw beyond those labels because she saw the humanity in everyone. For me, Dolly is the blueprint."

What does this change for Parton's legacy?

Not much, on the evidence of the broadcast — the tributes largely confirmed a reputation already settled. Sabrina Carpenter, who collaborated with Parton on a remix of "Please Please Please" before her death, recorded a tribute calling her an artist without a detractor. "She meant kindness, joy, quick comebacks, rhinestones, big hair, family, radiance, and love," Carpenter said. "There's nobody like Dolly."

Carol Burnett went further back, to the 1979 CBS special "Dolly & Carol in Nashville," and told one story in detail: a knock on her hotel door before dinner, with Parton standing there holding a home-cooked meal she had cooked herself. Bono and Goldie Hawn also appeared.

The evening's official logline promised "a joyful, emotional celebration of the artist, songwriter, entertainer, humanitarian and entrepreneur" traced through performances, archival footage and personal stories. The Hulu stream extends the broadcast's reach beyond one night — and, on the lineup assembled, positions the CMA special as the first large-scale institutional statement on Parton's legacy since her death.