Emily Ann Roberts is set for a giant 2024. She’ll appear on the CBS TV special Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala on Wednesday, and then she’ll have an itinerary full of tour dates. In addition to one-off concerts, she’s supporting Blake Shelton on his Back to the Honky Tonk Tour in arenas around the U.S. It’s a huge milestone for Roberts, whose career began when she joined Shelton’s team on The Voice Season 9 back in 2015.
“It is such a full circle moment to be able to go back out on the road with Blake,” Roberts told us in a recent interview. “If I could have told that little 15-year-old girl when she was on The Voice that all these years later that she would have this opportunity to go out and support him on the road, I would have been so thrilled. And I am. It’s an answered prayer, honestly. I have wanted to have an opportunity like this and worked towards this for a long time, and it feels good to finally see the fruit of all the seeds I’ve been sowing all these years since The Voice.”
We talked to Roberts at the taping for Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala, so it was only natural to ask her about her favorite Dolly Parton song (aside from “9 to 5,” which Roberts famously covered on The Voice).
“I really love her song ‘Smokey Mountain Memories,’ It’s one of my favorites,” she told us. “I grew up in East Tennessee, so the Smokey Mountains are near and dear to my heart. And just the way she storytells in that song; you can just hear her heart all over it. So I’ve always loved that one.”
How to Watch Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala
CBS will air Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala on Feb. 21 at 9 p.m. ET. CBS is viewable for free for anyone with a digital antenna (which you can purchase at retailers like Amazon and Walmart.) It’s also viewable via cable providers or livestream services such as Fubo TV. (Click here for a free trial.)
The easiest way to stream Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala will be on Paramount+, which offers a CBS livestream as well as on-demand viewing afterward. Click here for free trial and subscription info.