Dolly Parton's Manager Allegedly Wants Icon's Family 'Out of the Picture' Amid Legal War with Nephew
Dolly Parton's family fear longtime manager Danny Nozell may be trying to phase them out to gain complete control over estate.
Sept. 25 2026, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
Dolly Parton's manager wants to phase out the icon's family from her estate, according to new claims.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Danny Nozell, who filed a lawsuit against Parton's nephew and secretly chief Bryan Seaver, have sparked concerns within her inner circle that he may have ulterior motives for the court action.
Nozell 'Wants To Turn Her House Into Graceland'
Nozell has lucrative plans for Parton's properties, claim insiders.
Indeed, insiders fear he has major plans for Parton's legacy that may not go down well with family members.
A source told PageSix: "He wants the family out of the picture, and wants to turn her house into Graceland."
The insider added that Nozell and Parton made a good business team, but she was the moral compass, claiming: "Danny doesn’t have the heart that Dolly did."
RadarOnline.com recently told how Nozell took out a restraining order against Seaver for allegedly sending threatening texts after being fired by her estate.
Restraining Order Against Nephew
Bryan Seaver was fired from his role as Parton's security chief.
The approved restraining order was filed through She’s Alive, LLC — a company established by the 9 to 5 artist before her August 25 death — and included an additional lawsuit against Seaver, who announced the singer's passing on social media.
The legal filings alleged Seaver had been extorting Parton's estate for money by "invoking his self-proclaimed military-contractor experience, access to weapons and capacity for violence," per TMZ, citing docs stating that the behavior was the reason for Seaver's termination.
The documents included records of messages allegedly sent by the security operator that claim he used threatening language to coerce members of Parton's estate to comply with demands for money
'Threats' Against Parton's Manager
Seaver was also accused of threatening to destroy his aunt's brand.
"Her money better be bigger than I can make elsewhere or I’m going to f--k everyone," one alleged message stated.
"I am about to become the hand of retribution for my entire family."
"All I do is warfare," Seaver, who was employed by Parton for over 20 years until his September 15 firing, allegedly wrote, "everyone needs to be worried about what I might do."
However, Seaver hit back at the legal action, describing the restraining order as a "publicity stunt."
Seaver told ABC News in a statement: "The restraining order is spurious and simply a publicity stunt."
He confirmed he has been sacked, but added: "I was fired.
"After the estate negotiated with me and my company for services in perpetuity and agreed to that service provision from my company.
“A week later they fired me for these contrived 'threats.’”
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Stella Parton, here with Dolly, attempted to play down family feud.
Parton’s sisters Freida and Stella Parton came to their nephew's defense this week.
Freida posted a social media message, where she explained: "No one among the Parton/Owens family is fighting over Dolly’s estate. We all love Bryan, just as we all love each other.”
Meanwhile, Stella admitted on Facebook: "All families have the same struggles since we are all living in this world having a human experience.”
"We are still intact and moving forward because our children and grandchildren look to us for strength and guidance during this difficult time of loss and confusion for them as well."
