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The 2022 recipient of the $100-million Bezos Courage and Civility Award is Dolly Parton. On Friday, Jeff Bezos and his longtime partner Lauren Sanchez announced that country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton is the latest recipient of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award. The award comes with a no-strings-attached check for $100-million that the recipient can use in any way they see fit. During the ceremony where Parton was given the award, Bezos said she embodies everything the award stands for so thoroughly. She expressed gratitude for the award and says she’ll continue doing with the money what she’s always done, which is to “put her money where her heart is.” Parton has a long history of philanthropy, having started the Dollywood Foundation, the Dolly Parton Scholarship, and The Imagination Library Program through which she helps spread literacy around the world. She also made headlines when news broke that she’d quietly donated $1-million to fund vaccine research at Vanderbilt University, which led to the development of Moderna’s Covid vaccine. Last year’s recipients of the Bezos Courage and Civility Awards were news and political commentator Van Jones and World Central Kitchen founder chef José Andrés, who each received $100-million.
Singer Lainey Wilson made her debut as a musician named Abby in season five of “Yellowstone,” and despite having never acted before she said she developed the character in her own mind. She said, “Where’s someone who sounds like this from? Louisiana.” Wilson has often complained that her Louisiana accent is so thick that people don’t understand what she’s saying, so it feels natural that she would include that in the character she developed. Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth on the hit show, told her that she couldn’t tell she had never acted before.