Dolly Parton Details a Non-Sexual Open Marriage with Carl Dean
Dolly Parton says her six-decade marriage to Carl Thomas Dean included an open, non-sexual arrangement in which she flirted with other men and he flirted back, with clear boundaries that they would never cheat and that they remained deeply in love. The couple, who met in a Nashville laundromat in 1964, described their relationship as open but not about sexual partners, emphasizing trust and devotion. The piece notes Dean’s death in March 2025 and Parton’s reflections on their life together.