Red-faced Ted Cruz forced to delete Dolly Parton tribute after humiliating blunder

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Updated: 12:12 EDT, 27 August 2026 Ted Cruz was forced to delete his social media tribute to Dolly Parton after being caught out in a humiliating blunder.The Texas senator, 55, had taken to X to pay his respects to the beloved country musician who died earlier this week aged 80.In doing so, Cruz shared a post from the account @lebatardshowfan that showed a young Parton on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1979.The clip featured the then 33-year-old star playing a guitar to perform a song created for the occasion titled (I Never Really Made It Till) The Johnny Carson Show.Cruz quoted the tweet, adding a simple caption of 'Legend' alongside three emojis of crying face, red heart and prayer hands.But the Republican legislator was quickly caught out.The original poster of the tweet later altered his display name to read: 'Ted Cruz's tiny d**k.'He then responded to the retweet with a comment that read: 'Thanks for the retweet, Ted. Ted Cruz was forced to delete his social media tribute to Dolly Parton after being caught out in humiliating blunder'Remember in 2016 you told the RNC Convention to "vote your conscience" and then ultimately gave up having any backbone and backed Trump who called your wife ugly? Fun times.' Cruz then deleted his tweet entirely and the user reverted his display name back to Mark.But eagle-eyed social media users had already spotted the blunder and were quick to mock Cruz, many believing the display name had been the NSFW alternative from the start.One wrote: 'Step 1: drop a clip. Step 2: get Ted Cruz to quote it. Step 3: change your user name. Step 4: wait.' Another added: 'Ted Cruz quote tweeted this... Once you see it...' And a third said: 'Did Ted Cruz even notice the name of the account he was quoting?'The Daily Mail has reached out to Cruz's office for comment.On Tuesday, Parton's nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in a touching tribute. The original poster of the tweet later altered his display name to read: 'Ted Cruz's tiny d**k'He revealed in a video message that she had 'asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality'.Mr Seaver hailed his aunt for having 'lived in the light' and said she was now 'in the arms of Jesus' and the company of her husband, as well as her parents and 'countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens'.The singer died after being admitted on Friday to Nashville's Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center with autoimmune and kidney problems. Parton, who is often referred to as the Queen of Country, enjoyed an illustrious music career that spanned an incredible six decades and was arguably best known for her hits Jolene and nine to five.