Dolly Parton’s sister Freida is publicly denying rumours of a family feud, following the firing of Dolly’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, from his longtime role as head of security, and the subsequent filing of a temporary restraining order against him.
Freida, 69, addressed the speculation Wednesday, September 23, writing on social media, “No one among the Parton/Owens family is fighting over Dolly’s estate. We all love Bryan, just as we all love each other.”
She closed her statement with, “I love you all!!”
The dispute escalated after Dolly’s longtime manager, Danny Nozell, sought the restraining order against Seaver on behalf of She’s Alive, LLC, the company managing Parton’s business affairs.
According to court documents reported by TMZ, Nozell alleges Seaver made a series of threatening and intimidating statements toward those managing Dolly’s estate, including one message that reportedly read, “I’m not an entertainment person. I’m a killer,” and another in which he allegedly described himself as an “international arms dealer and mercenary,” warning, “Everyone needs to be worried about what I might do.”
Nozell claims these threats instilled genuine fear among people responsible for overseeing Parton’s businesses.
Seaver, who announced Dolly’s death publicly on August 25 and had served as her head of security for more than two decades, has pushed back on the characterisation, calling the restraining order “spurious and simply a publicity stunt.”
Dolly’s other sister, Stella Parton, also addressed the situation separately on Thursday, offering a message emphasising resilience over rumour.
“All families have the same struggles since we are all living in this world having a human experience,” she wrote on Facebook.
“We are still intact and moving forward because our children and grandchildren look to us for strength and guidance during this difficult time of loss and confusion for them as well.”
The requested restraining order would bar Seaver from coming within 1,000 feet of Dolly’s Nashville offices and from involvement in her businesses going forward.
2026-09-25 00:37:00
