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On January 7, 2025, a TikTok video went viral, claiming that Dolly Parton won the bid to buy TikTok, beating Donald Trump. The video, posted by user @newstomakeyoulaugh, has already garnered more than 17K likes and over 800 comments. The reporter in the viral clip said:
"The country music legend known for her hit song Jolene, decided to expand her empire into the world of social media. When asked about her plans for the platform, Dolly said: 'Well, honey, I just couldn't have let Trump have all the fun...'"
It even claimed that Parton was planning to introduce a new feature on the app, known as "Dolly Talk," in which the platform users could recreate videos wearing her iconic outfits and wigs. The video even reported on Donald Trump apparently "sulking" at Mar-a-Lago after losing the bid to Dolly Parton.
The clip further contained a statement given by Dolly, in which she extended her gratitude to everybody who supported her.
It should, however, be noted that the video is not real and in fact AI-generated. The creator (@newstomakeyoulaugh) has even mentioned in their bio that they are an 'AI comedy creator.' Also, if Parton actually bought TikTok, prominent media platforms would have reported on it. But, no such reports have been released as of now.
Meanwhile, many users didn't seem to believe the information and claims made in the video, as they commented that they 'wished' the news was true. Thus, it can be concluded that the news is false and must be debunked.
Dolly Parton joined TikTok in December 2022
According to a December 5, 2022 article by The Independent, Dolly Parton officially joined the social media platform back then. The previous day, on December 4, the singer reportedly posted her first TikTok video. According to the outlet, the first video was a fast-paced compilation of her clips, with the words "Hey TikTok! It’s Dolly" heard over the intro of her 1980 track 9 to 5.
The caption of the video read:
"I have arrived!"
As of now, the singer has 3.9 million followers on TikTok, and her latest post on the platform was a New Year's wish for her audience.
As for TikTok, the US Supreme Court will hear further arguments on Friday, January 10, 2024, to decide if the platform will be banned in the United States, as reported by The Guardian the same day. TikTok and Chinese-based parent company ByteDance urged the Supreme Court to review the case after a lower court gave a judgment upholding the ban on the app.
According to the media outlet, TikTok has about 170 million users in the US itself. While Trump proposed the ban almost five years ago, he now states that restricting people from using an app could be a violation of their free speech.
It is yet to see what happens to the social media platform, which was founded back in 2016 by the Chinese company. The platform has previously faced bans in several countries, including India, Australia, and Belgium.
