We should thank Dolly Parton for 'Buffy'? Sarah Michelle Gellar talks series origin on 'Tonight Show'

Dolly Parton is many things: Singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, theme park mogul, legend. She can do it all, and she's been doing most of it for decades now, so you'd think there isn't anything left to be surprised about when it comes to Dolly's many accomplishments. Well, thanks to Sarah Michelle Gellar's confirmation, you can add one more credit to the list: Buffy the Vampire Slayer producer.

Gellar stopped by NBC's The Tonight Show this week to promote her new supernatural series Wolf Pack, and host Jimmy Fallon took the opportunity to ask her about the longstanding rumor that Parton was in fact a producer on Buffy. Gellar wasted no time in confirming that Parton was not only involved with the show, but would send the cast and crew holiday gifts. 

"Little known fact, the legend Dolly was a producer," Gellar said. "And, you know, we never saw her. We'd get Christmas gifts in the beginning that would have our name, and I would think, 'She doesn't even know who I am.' And then one day, somebody asked her about it and she complimented the show and my performance.

"I was like, 'Oh, I can die now. Dolly Parton knows who I am and thinks I'm good.'"

So yes, the rumors are true. Dolly Parton had a hand in Buffy, along with the many, many other things she's contributed to over her legendary career. But if that's the case, why didn't you ever see her name in the credits? Well, as Fallon noted in the clip above, Parton was a "silent producer" alongside her partner Sandy Gallin, who was a credited executive producer on the series and its spinoff, Angel. Gallin and Parton were cofounders of the production company Sandollar, which had a hand in Buffy dating all the way back to the original movie. So while Gallin was the more hands-on producer of the two of them, Parton was still on board with backing with the series through the company. 

All of this should serve as yet another reminder that there's basically nothing Dolly Parton can't do. 

You can stream Gellar's full appearance on The Tonight Show on Peacock right now, along with every other episode of Fallon's Tonight Show. New episodes of The Tonight Show air weeknights, 11:35/10:35 p.m. on NBC.

If you're looking for more supernatural thrills in the same vein as Buffy, check out SYFY's original series SurrealEstate, which returns later this year for Season 2.