Ricky Schroder, best known for his roles in Silver Spoons and NYPD Blue, is facing criticism over comments about COVID-19 vaccines in a tribute to Dolly Parton following the country music icon’s death. Schroder previously played Parton’s father in two NBC biopic movies about her childhood, Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors and Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.
Ricky Schroder faces criticism over a vaccine-related comment in a Dolly Parton tribute
Following Parton’s death on Tuesday, Schroder shared a tribute on social media that also highlighted his disagreement with some of her views.
“I didn’t agree with her advocating for Transgender & Covid Vaccine support … but Loved her anyway. Thank you for choosing me Dolly to be your Movie Daddy,” Schroder wrote.
The post quickly drew backlash, with critics arguing that Schroder’s comments were inappropriate for a tribute to Parton. He later appeared to double down on his criticism by sharing a clip about Parton’s support for the COVID-19 vaccine on his Instagram Stories.
“I warned Dolly to not support the Experiment. Wished she listened,” he wrote.
The remarks prompted strong reactions from several public figures and social media users. Journalist Katie Couric responded with, “Ick,” while rock band Garbage wrote from its official account, “F— off Ricky Schroeder.”
Fox Sports South Florida co-host Josh Cohen also criticized Schroder on X, writing, “Congratulations to former child TV actor Ricky Schroder on becoming the first person to disrespect Dolly Parton in her passing. What an absolute douche.”
Other users accused Schroder of turning what could have been a tribute into a criticism of Parton’s views. One commenter wrote, “You could have honored her without using her death to remind everyone that you disapproved of her supporting trans people and vaccines.”
However, Schroder also received some support from his followers. One person defended his post by writing, “We can disagree and still love each other. At least conservatives can. Dolly will truly be missed.”
