Celebrity3 min(s) read
Dolly Parton’s nephew threatened to ‘destroy her entire brand’ as texts are revealed
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Dolly Parton's manager has exposed shocking text messages from her nephew, both before and after her tragic death.
The beloved country star's death on August 25 shocked the world, following a battle with several health issues, including cancer.
The Tennessee native said she had "issues" that she didn't pay attention to while caring for her late husband Carl Dean, who died at the age of 82 in March 2025.
In an emotional video at the time, her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the 'Jolene' singer's death at the age of 80.
But Seaver, Parton's longtime head of security, is now claimed to have sent numerous messages to the late artist's manager, Danny Nozell, after her death.
The texts have been included as part of a lawsuit from Nozell against Seaver, claiming that the latter tried to "destroy her entire brand".
Dolly Parton's nephew allegedly threatens her manager
The messages allege that Seaver threatened several Parton business entities before and after she passed away unless Nozell met his demands.
Nozell added that the threats were an attempt to cause "fear and chaos to extort money for his personal gain."
The manager further claimed he was put in charge of Parton's businesses through She's Alive LLC, which was created through her trust and estate plan to protect her assets.
Nozell fired Seaver from his security role this week, prompting the latter to message the manager, claiming he'd "destroy the entire brand if you don’t get these [REDACTED] out of our bit," and that he would earn more money "by virtue of their exit."
He then stated: “I am your ally. This is a long game you need to start doing on them. The Dollywood brand is dying.”
Seaver was referring to the late artist's theme park, named Dollywood, which is worth an eye-watering $300 million, with Parton owning half.
Texts show that Seaver further threatened to "set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships", while also bragging in another text that he was "the face of the biggest social media post in human history."
He is, of course, referencing the video where he announced his aunt's death.
The former head of security even told Nozell that he "just sold $29 million worth of ammo to Haiti."
Nozell then explained that this was an attempt to "magnify fear and demonstrate that Mr. Seaver could combine public notoriety with his means and stated willingness to inflict serious commercial damage."
What has Dolly Parton's manager claimed in the lawsuit?
Nozell explained in the complaint that Parton's nephew had made 'repeated, written threats to Ms. Parton’s staff, partners, legal and business advisors, and others'.
He further added: “These were not ordinary workplace disputes or heated words; they were deliberate threats from a self-proclaimed heavily armed, former security operative with a military-contractor background,
“Many of these people are now afraid to come to work or have resigned entirely because they do not feel safe.”
The manager has now filed a restraining order against Seaver and his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services LLP.
The manager is hoping for the court to order Seaver to stay at least 1,000 feet away from anyone associated with She's Alive LLC, and to bar him from making any statements that could interfere with the business.
That's not all, though, as Nozell is seeking damages.
He claimed: “The loss of safety, goodwill, trusted personnel, counsel, and business relationships cannot be fully remedied by money damages, and [Seaver’s] continuing threats create an ongoing and escalating risk of further harm.”