Reba alum Christopher Rich addressed the brutal aftermath of his stroke — including how it caused him to step back from the public eye.
“It used to be so embarrassing to come out,” Rich, 72, told People in an interview published on Friday, November 14. “But now — ever since Reba dragged me back to do Happy’s Place — I’ve sort of re-entered the world again.”
Rich said he’s “having the time of my life” getting to act again.
“She keeps bringing us in, and the audience loves it,” Rich added. “It’s amazing.”
Reba, which aired from 2001 to 2007, followed a single mom who had to start over after her husband, Brock (Rich), left her for his dental hygienist, Barbra Jean (Melissa Peterman).
Reba (McEntire) faced a multitude of obstacles while raising her three kids — including her pregnant teen daughter (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and her boyfriend (Steve Howey). Scarlett Pomers and Mitch Holleman were also prominent cast members on the show but took a step back from the spotlight in the years since Reba concluded.
Most of the Reba alums have found ways to pop in on McEntire, 70, and Peterman’s hit NBC series, Happy’s Place. The project reunited them two decades after Reba and paved the way for them to reunite with Howey as well. Rich’s episode in February held extra significance after he stepped away from acting for several years following a massive stroke.
“After my stroke and having a brain injury, it is like I got hit with an atomic bomb. So it all gets traumatized, and it is a hard reset,” he exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “After I finally got out of the hospital, I was moving around again. Then I threw a bunch of blood clots and ended up in the hospital with lung embolisms and debris on my heart. After surviving all of that crap, I’m feeling really, really good.”
Rich continued: “I lost 50 pounds since the last time I was a regular on television. I just don’t have much of an appetite anymore. But I’m not disappointed by losing weight.”
The actor was hopeful about his return to Hollywood, adding, “It’s great to be able to be a disabled person and play a disabled person. I’m hoping that when some of this gets out there, that people that I’ve worked with in the past are going to say, ‘OK, let’s bring him back. We can work with him.’”
McEntire, meanwhile, expressed her gratitude that Happy’s Place allowed her to reunite with Rich.
“To bring Chris back in [after Reba], that was the most special to the producers — Kevin Abbott and Mindy Schultheis and Michael Hanel. They were all from the Reba sitcom,” McEntire quipped to Us in May.
McEntire recalled how important it was for them — and for Rich — to be on set together again.
“To bring Chris back in after his stroke, it really made a difference in his life,” she noted. “He got to come back to the work that he loved so much around the people that he loves so much. And we all love him. It’s been a huge blessing for all of us.”
Happy’s Place airs on NBC Fridays at 8 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Peacock.
