Reba McEntire can’t wait to start filming Happy’s Place, for a lot more than just her love of acting. The 69-year-old will appear in the NBC sitcom, alongside her good friend — and former Reba co-star — Melissa Peterman, and her longtime boyfriend, Rex Linn.
“I am thrilled to death to be able to do another sitcom,” McEntire tells Extra. “I love to do sitcoms. They’re so much fun. And with Melissa, we have a blast wherever we are. But in front of those four cameras, it’s a lot of mischief happening. The rest of the cast is incredible.”
McEntire met Linn when they appeared in the Kenny Rogers movie, The Gambler, together in 1991. But it wasn’t until early 2020, when both appeared on Young Sheldon, that the sparks began to fly. Now, the Grand Ole Opry member looks for every chance she can get to work with Linn.
“We’ve gotten to do two other projects together, ABC‘s Big Sky, and then Lifetime, The Hammer movie,” McEntire says. “So we love working together. What’s really the best part about it is, he’s my coach, so when we’re home, he’s helping me with my lines, and to memorize. He’s wonderful. Helps me a lot.”
McEntire has been married twice before, but is grateful to have found true love with Linn, especially at this stage in her life.
“It was new,” McEntire said on The Drew Barrymore Show. “Greatest thing ever. It was just like, ‘Why now?’ So I asked Rex. I’ve been married twice. He’s been engaged four times, but never married. And so, I said, ‘Rex, how come you and I have known each other all this time, but we never got together?’ And he said, ‘Probably because you would have killed me.’ He’s a wild man. He’s a 12-year-old.”
The country music superstar would be willing to tie the knot again, but says the decision is entirely up to Linn.
“I told him if he wanted to get married that’s up to him totally,” McEntire told Taste of Country. “He doesn’t seem pressured one way or the other. We get along so well. We have fun. We travel together. Now, if you can do a road trip with a person and not get in an argument and still like each other when you get to your destination, that’s a pretty good partnership right there.”
For now, McEntire is happy that she gets to work with two of the people closest to her on Happy’s Place, which is expected to premiere this fall.
“I love the script, Happy’s Place, because it is something that actually really could happen,” McEntire told UMG Nashville. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s got a lot of heart to it. It’s about me. I play Bobbie Jo, and my dad is Happy, and he has owned this tavern for many, many years. He’s kind of retired, so I’ve been kind of handling it.
“Well, my daddy dies, and I go to the lawyer’s office to make sure all the will is just right and sign the papers, and I have quite a surprise,” she added. “I find out that my daddy did have two families. There you go.”
McEntire is also working on new music. She just dropped “I Can’t” from her forthcoming next project. Find all of her music and upcoming shows at Reba.com
Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC