Stars slam “NYPD Blue” star Ricky Schroder’s transphobic, anti-vaccine tribute to Dolly Parton: ‘Oh shut up!’
Key Points
- Actor Ricky Schroder shared a transphobic, anti-vaccine tribute to Dolly Parton hours after her death.
- In part, the NYPD Blue star wrote that he “didnt [sic] agree with her advocating for Transgender & Covid Vaccine support.”
- Katie Couric, Boy George, and the band Garbage all hit back at the star’s comments.
NYPD Blue actor Ricky Schroder is facing online backlash after the he posted a transphobic and anti-vaccine tribute to Dolly Parton.
“I didnt [sic] agree with her advocating for Transgender & Covid Vaccine support…but Loved her anyway,” Schroder wrote Tuesday on Instagram, alongside sharing a photo of himself posing with Parton. (News of the 80-year-old icon’s death broke earlier that day.)
Schroder, 56, previously worked with Parton on two projects. He played a dramatized version of her father in the TV movies Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors (2015) and its 2016 sequel, Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.
Referencing their work together, Schroder closed his comment by writing, “Thank you for choosing me Dolly to be your Movie Daddy.”
The actor’s tribute drew the ire of numerous fans and celebrities, with renowned broadcaster Katie Couric replying with one word —“Ick” — under the post on Threads.
Rock band Garbage, fronted by lead singer Shirley Manson, also replied from its official account, telling the star, “F— off Ricky Schroeder.”
Pop star Boy George later weighed in on Schroder’s controversial remark, writing, “Oh shut up” under the post.
Another comment from popular Threads user Steven Havre slammed Schroder for the tone of the post and its proximity to Parton’s death.
“Ricky, she just died. You could have honored her without using her death to remind everyone that you disapproved of her supporting trans people and vaccines,” Havre wrote. “What a s—y, self-centered tribute.”
Entertainment Weekly has attempted to reach Schroder for comment. EW has additionally reached out to Parton’s team for a response.
Schroder’s social media profiles are filled with conservative content, including a recent post he shared to Instagram that included caricatures of left-leaning figures, whom the text indicated were “demonic socialists of America,” while one person in the cartoon image held a coffee cup that read “GAY DUST” on the front.
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Parton had long stood for LGBTQ equality for decades, often speaking out in support of community rights as well as advocating for vaccine health — particularly amid the COVID pandemic, during which she donated $1 million to vaccine research efforts that helped establish a shot during the outbreak of the virus.
The “Jolene” and “9 to 5” performer was long considered a queer icon, with LGBTQ media organization GLAAD releasing a statement after her death, in which CEO Sarah Kate Ellis called Parton “the queen of inclusivity and philanthropy” while praising “her support for LGBTQ people.”
