Leslie Jordan is living his best life, from becoming a viral social media sensation to writing his new book, "How Y'all Doing? Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived." But nothing compares to meeting country music legend Dolly Parton.
Jordan, who turns 66 on April 29, duets with Parton, 75, on "Where the Soul Never Dies" off his new album, "Company's Comin'." He told "Good Morning America" that hanging out with the "Jolene" singer was the realization of a "lifelong dream."
People ask Jordan what it was like to meet the 10-time Grammy winner. He says she is "just as real" as fans always imagined her to be.
"She's just Dolly," he added. "She's just an icon and she's smart, which is what I figured out really fast. Don't think there's some dumb blonde there. No, no, she's smart as a whip."
Jordan said being with Parton was "just like sitting with an old friend" and he praised her for the "important" work of giving back -- especially during the pandemic.
The "American Horror Story" star also said he is "perfectly comfortable" with who he is and his best advice for others is "you've got to be true to yourself."
While Jordan acknowledged that he doesn't experience homophobia on a daily basis as someone who lives in Los Angeles -- where he said "we're everywhere" in reference to the LGBTQ community there -- he knows that isn't true in all parts of the country.
"But you go home, back to some small town somewhere, and you've got to be confident in yourself and you've got to love yourself and on a daily basis," he said. "You've got to just stand tall -- and that's hard to say from someone who is 4-[foot]-11."
As for what it has been like to connect with fans on social media throughout the pandemic, Jordan said people are getting to know the real him and not the snarky characters he tends to play on TV.
"People stop me in the grocery store and stuff and say, 'Wow, you really pulled us through a bad time,'" he explained. "And I thought, well, I didn't talk about politics, I didn't talk about religion. I just, you know, tried on a daily basis to bring a little humor."
Jordan's book, "How Y'all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived," is out now.