Rex Linn and Reba McEntire Engaged After Five Years of Dating

Wedding bells are ringing for lovers Rex Linn and Reba McEntire. The two have confirmed that they are now engaged to each other, five years after they started dating. 

Linn and McEntire met in the 1990s. However, their romance didn’t start till 2020, when they reconnected, and the former offered a comforting shoulder for the latter during her mother’s illness. 

Linn and McEntire both appeared on the 2025 Emmy Awards red carpet together on Sunday, September 14, where they confirmed their engagement during a red carpet interview with a “Live From E!” news correspondent. 

When the reporter referred to Linn as her fiancé, the country singer blushed and gushed, “We’re having a blast on Happy’s Place, and so glad to be here tonight.”

In October 2021, McEntire recalled speaking to Linn when her mother got sick in 2020. She said that her now-fiancé had called her to offer comfort. After that, they kept visiting each other and talking and have been “inseparable” ever since then. 

Although the “Happy’s Place” co-stars just confirmed their engagement, a People Magazine source revealed that they have been engaged for a few months now.  “It happened a few months ago, and they are very happy,” the insider said. 

Earlier in the year, the 70-year-old singer and actress gushed about her relationship with Linn. She revealed that he cooks better than she does, noting that they complement each other in several ways. 

McEntire stated that working together with her partner on the set of the sitcom “Happy’s Place” is a dream come true. She called him her best friend and said that they would both like to “cross the finish line with each other in a relationship.” 

News of McEntire and Linn’s engagement should not be a surprise to long-time fans. 

Just last year, the “I’m Not That Lonely Yet” singer revealed that if Linn wanted to get married, she would happily walk down the aisle with him.

“If that’s something he feels totally strong about, that’s fine with me. He’s never been married before. So, if he wants to experience that, I’m OK with that,” she said. 

McEntire has been married twice before. She was married to Charlie Battles from 1976 to 1987 and Narvel Blackstock from 1989 to 2015. 

Despite having a disappointing history in her marriages, McEntire remained open long enough to find a strong connection with Linn.

When speaking about their relationship, she noted that their chemistry was very strong as they were both instantly drawn to each other. 

“It was just like a magnet,” she said, according to The Blast. She further revealed that they had built a good rapport over the phone and had time to understand each other’s personalities before beginning their romantic relationship.

The singer noted that the initial slow burn helped her to love her partner for who he is rather than based on his appearance alone. 

Despite how strong the couple’s relationship appears to be, they have had their fair share of ups and downs, just like any other couple. 

There were recently reports of trouble in paradise between the two. In July, The Blastreported that the two were allegedly having a hard time balancing their romantic and professional relationships. 

Although the actress previously gushed about being happy to work with her now-fiancé on the set of “Happy’s Pace,” it seemed also to cause a strain in their relationship. 

Insiders claimed that McEntire was reportedly “bossing” her lover around and “barking orders” at him. This became unbearable for Linn, who didn’t like being bossed around in public. 

Before becoming co-stars in “Happy’s Place,” McEntire and Linn first met in 1991 when they were both working on the movie, “The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw.”

According to People Magazine, they kept in contact with each other, but only as friends. 

In January 2020, Linn shared a photo of himself with the actress while they were out having dinner. Nine months later, McEntire confirmed that she was dating Linn. 

They made their red carpet debut that same year in November and have since attended several events together, right until their engagement in 2025.