How Dolly Parton Saved The Relationship Of One Gay Couple

The TLC special My Collection Obsession featured a middle-aged, long-term gay couple named Harrell and Patrick who are Dolly Parton super fans. They’ve amassed more than a million pieces of Parton-related memorabilia—costumes, correspondence, signed photos, cardboard cutouts, a pinball machine, a Straight Talk mug, a Christmas tree they keep in their tub, to name just a few—that fill just about every inch of their 2500-square-foot home. In fact, the couple had recently moved from their home in Texas to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee just to be closer to Dollywood. During the special, they got a surprise visit from Dolly herself, who came to check out their veritable museum. During her time with the couple, we learned that Harrell and Patrick had considered breaking up at one point, but couldn’t decide on how to divide their Dolly assets, so they stayed together and just worked out their problems.