Disney bought country singer Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park.
A rumor (archived) that Disney bought Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park circulated online after the beloved star’s death in August 2026.
The Mouse Trap News Instagram account shared news of the alleged takeover, writing, “What do you think of Disney taking over Dollywood?!”
(@mousetrapnews, accessed via Instagram)
The story also appeared on Mouse Trap News’ Facebook (archived) and TikTok (archived) accounts. Commenters across the platforms appeared to question whether the rumor was true. Snopes readers also contacted us to investigate its legitimacy.
The rumor about Disney buying Dollywood is not real. Mouse Trap News is a satirical news outlet covering the Disney parks. Profile descriptions on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok described the accounts’ output as “100% Fake.”
The outlet also posted a written story on its website, which describes its content as “100% made-up parody and satire stories about Disney Parks.” Therefore, we find this claim was labeled satire.
Search engines such as DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo did not find any credible reporting to suggest Disney had bought Dollywood (archived, archived, archived). Because of both Disney and Parton’s worldwide fame, reputable sources would have reported on such a takeover, if true.
Mouse Trap News shared the rumor on or around Aug. 28, 2026, three days after Parton’s death.
The video that Mouse Trap News posted on its social media profiles used a combination of footage of Dollywood and Disney parks, as well as unrelated clips from two authentic videos. Some clips came from a video of Parton speaking about the “My Life of Many Colors Museum,” which was set to open in the fall of 2026. Other clips came from a video of Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton speaking about how the park would honor Parton’s legacy after her death.
Remembering Parton as the park’s “dreamer-in-chief,” Naughton told viewers:
I know a lot of people are concerned that things are going to change without Dolly being present here and I want to assure you that it’s not. Just know that we’re all going to keep her alive here.
For further reading, Snopes has previously debunked stories from Mouse Trap News. For example, in June 2025, we alerted readers to another satirical story about Disney banning MAGA hats.
Since the effectiveness of satire is subjective, we use “originated as satire” or “labeled satire” ratings based on creators’ description of their work. It’s your call on whether you agree.
