How Reba McEntire and Rex Linn Turned a ’90s Friendship into a Quarantine Fairytale
Oh, great—another celebrity love saga for us to dissect. But since you asked, here’s the low-down on how country queen Reba McEntire and TV stalwart Rex Linn finally got around to dating after almost three decades of “just pals.” They first crossed paths in 1991 on the set of The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (NBCUniversal via Getty), kept that purely professional, then drifted apart… until 2020. I told you so: nothing says “true love” like a global lockdown.
It all kicked off when two busy entertainers dusted off old phone numbers during quarantine. Reba spilled on her Living & Learning podcast that early in 2020 they met for coffee and dinner, then slid into “Coffee Camp,” their daily FaceTime ritual. Sometimes Rex was waking up at 3 a.m. in California just to join his Tennessee sweetheart—sweet, annoying, and persistent, all at once. Fox News Digital confirms they’ve never missed a single “Coffee Camp” call since March 16, 2020.
Fast-forward to November 2020, and the duo finally made their red carpet debut at the CMA Awards, where Reba was the co-host with Darius Rucker. According to People Magazine, she couldn’t hide her excitement about having Rex by her side. Since then, they’ve paraded through multiple industry events—once even dressing up as Beetlejuice characters on The Kelly Clarkson Show in October 2024. I mean, spooky or adorable? Decide for yourself.
Workaholics unite: these two don’t just flirt on the sidewalk. They’ve shared the screen again and again, from friendly banter on Young Sheldon to playing spouses on ABC’s Big Sky (Season 3), then teaming up for the Lifetime movie The Hammer. Now they’re elbow-deep in sitcom life with Reba’s new series Happy’s Place—she inherited her dad’s bar, and Rex is Emmett the short-order cook. Sources say they’re literally running lines together daily, which explains why Reba quips he “cooks better than I do” (she told Fox News Digital ahead of her record 18th ACM Awards hosting gig in 2025).
Naturally, they claim it’s a “perfect union,” though I’ve seen arguments over who forgot the groceries that sound a tad more entertaining. Reba insists their playful spats are part of the fun. He’s smart, funny, and “very, very sweet,” she gushes, while he appreciates that she actually listens to him when he bores her with cooking tips.
If you truly needed proof that Hollywood can deliver a cute-as-pie romance under the most clichéd circumstances—even mandatory lockdown—you’ve just got it. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, Fox News Digital, NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
