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How Dolly Parton and Jimmy Fallon Made an Uber Driver’s Day

Dolly Parton and Jimmy Fallon gave a Tennessee Uber driver an experience of a lifetime when Fallon opted out of taking a typical celebrity ride to Dollywood to film his recent movie.

Parton visited The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday (Nov. 30) to promote their project, Dolly Parton’s Magic Mountain Christmas. And while the duo chatted, Fallon shared that he did some unintentional local promoting before production even kicked off.

The holiday special was filmed inside Parton’s Pigeon Forge theme park. The town happens to border the Jollene singer’s birthplace, Sevierville.

Parton is considered a hero to her hometown residents because she has brought countless jobs to the Appalachian area, and because she helped people rebuild after a massive wildfire destroyed the community five years ago. In fact, she’s so loved that the town hosts a statue in her honor.

Jimmy Fallon Visited Dolly Parton’s Tennessee Hometown

So when Jimmy Fallon headed to film his part in Magic Mountain Christmas, he made a special stop in Sevierville and he traveled there the same way anyone else would have—in an Uber.

“I wanted to get some Dolly love and spread it around,” he told Parton during the episode.

Fallon admitted that he forgot to book a chauffeur when he planned his trip. So instead of working through the hassle of getting someone last minute, he called for a ride-share. When he got in his car, his driver, Chad, was shocked, and he had to take a moment to collect himself.

Chad eventually got his excitement under control and hit the road. But before long, Parton called Fallon to make sure he landed safely. And having two megastars chatting in his backseat proved to be too overwhelming for him.

The driver was immediately distracted when he realized who Fallon was chatting with, and he stopped focusing on the yellow line.

“Chad, stay on the road, buddy!” Fallon recalled saying. “He’s like, ‘Was that Dolly Parton on the phone?!’ This is the greatest drive of my life!”

‘Dolly Parton’s Magic Mountain Christmas’ is Out Now

Jimmy Fallon joined several other stars for Dolly Parton’s Magic Mountain Christmas, including Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmie Allen, and Zach Williams.

The holiday film is a musical about making a musical. In it, Parton and her special guests rehearse production numbers and work through the chaos as their premiere nears. During the practice, Parton takes a personal journey into her past with the guidance of three Wise Mountain Men.

The two-hour special dropped on Dec. 1 on NBC. If you missed the debut, you can stream it on Hulu, YouTubeTV, Peacock, and NBC.com.