Dolly Parton Just Shared A Rare Photo Of Her Husband

Dolly Parton's husband, Carl Dean, is pretty darn mysterious. The rarely seen spouse of the country music legend has almost totally shunned the spotlight over the years, despite his wife's penchant for being one of the glitziest stars in the business.

Exactly who Dean is, what he does, and, well, pretty much every other question you could possibly want to ask, has been asked over the years, as he's very rarely — if ever — actually been spotted out with the "9 To 5" hitmaker.

So rarely seen is Dean that Parton has even been forced to confirm that, yes, he does actually exist. "A lot of people have thought that through the years," Parton responded when asked about the bizarre conspiracy theory Dean isn't real by Entertainment Tonight in October 2020, "because he does not want to be in the spotlight at all. It's just not who he is." The country legend elaborated that Dean is more of "a quiet, reserved person" and doesn't want all the hassle that comes with the spotlight. Well, with Parton being one of the most famous people in the world, he kind of has a point there.

Despite all that, though, the two have made it work for more than five love-filled decades (all while keeping things pretty spicy). "I've always respected and appreciated that in him and I've always tried to keep him out of the limelight as much as I can," she explained.

Apart from this Thanksgiving, that is...

Get ready world, because Carl Dean is stepping into the spotlight! Well, sort of. Dolly Parton gave fans a big treat on Instagram for Thanksgiving 2021 when she shared a throwback snap of herself and her husband in celebration of the holiday.

The gorgeous star made it a "Better Day" for everyone as she posted the snap taken several decades ago, which showed her and Dean smiling together while sitting on a couch. Dean looked dapper in a suit with a pink shirt and tie, while Parton had her signature super high blonde hair (the higher the hair, the closer to God, remember!) in a black mini dress with ruffles. "Happy #Thanksgiving from me and mine to you and yours," she captioned the upload with a red heart emoji.

But while the snap was rare, it wasn't the first time Dean has appeared on his wife's social media. In fact, it was only earlier that month that Parton last shared a picture with her man on Instagram as she jokingly photoshopped her merchandise onto his body. She posted another photo taken several years ago on November 2, which showed them walking hand in hand as Dean rocked a t-shirt with "Dolly" and a photo of her face emblazoned across his chest.

"Find you a partner who will support you like my Carl Dean does!" she joked in the caption.

Oh, Country Queen. Just like the elusive Carl Dean, we will always love you!