Date Night
Reba McEntire’s Boyfriend Rex Linn Supports Her on Rare Night Out Together
Reba McEntire had the most important people in her life by her side when she was honored at Variety’s first-ever Power of Women: Nashville event on Thursday, May 1.
The country singer walked the red carpet before accepting her honor at the ceremony. She was joined by boyfriend Rex Linn, as well as her son, Shelby Blackstock, and his wife, Marissa.
The group posed for photos on the red carpet all together, with the couples standing side-by-side. Although McEntire and Linn have walked a number of carpets together throughout their five-plus-year relationship, this was their first high profile event in over a year. The couple will have another milestone to celebrate next week, too, when McEntire hosts the Academy of Country Music Awards.
McEntire and Linn have known each other since the early 1990s. They met while starring on The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. However, it wasn’t 2020 that they reconnected when McEntire showed up for a guest appearance on Young Sheldon, which Linn had a recurring role on. They began their relationship after that and have been going strong ever since.
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The lovebirds have proven that they can still work together professionally while being romantically involved in real life, too. In 2024, their sitcom Happy’s Place premiered on NBC. The show has been renewed for a second season.
Meanwhile, McEntire shares her son with ex-husband Narvel Blackstock, whom she was married to for 26 years before their 2015 divorce. In her Power of Women interview, she spoke briefly about Narvel while discussing Shelby and how he inspired her songs “What Do You Say?” and “He Gets It From Me.”
“Those two were recorded at the same time,” McEntire recalled. “This resonated so much with me because of my son, Shelby. He takes after me in some ways, and he takes after his dad in some ways. When I recorded it, I thought, ‘This is for Shelby.’”
