Reba McEntire wants everyone to take a deep breath — because despite what some viewers may have heard on live TV, she is not a married woman just yet. The 70-year-old country icon stopped by the Today show on Monday, Dec. 1 to talk about her ever-growing list of projects, including Season 2 of her NBC sitcom Happy’s Place, where she stars alongside her real-life fiancé, Rex Linn. But the interview took a humorous detour when co-anchor Savannah Guthrie casually referred to Linn as Reba’s “husband.” Reba instantly leaned forward, jumping in with that unmistakable sass and charm: “Now, wait a minute. Before everybody has a conniption fit at home, we’re just engaged.” She reminded Guthrie — and the millions watching — that if she had tied the knot, her own family would’ve demanded answers first. Savannah apologized, and the two shared a laugh as Reba clarified the situation.
Rex Linn, sitting off to the side in the studio, looked briefly startled when the camera caught him reacting, but quickly broke into a grin. Their easy chemistry is part of why fans love seeing them together, both on screen and off. Reba went on to gush about how much she enjoys working with him on Happy’s Place. “He is a workaholic, and he loves to rehearse,” she said. “Me, not so much on the rehearsal part. So he really makes sure that I know my lines and that I’m ready to go when we have a tape day. We have a blast. We’re so grateful and thankful that we get to go to work together, and then go home together.”
The two brought that same energy into Season 2, which Reba says has been even more fun than the first. “Season 1, you’re getting used to each other, figuring out habits, figuring out the rhythm. And it was fun. But Season 2? So much more fun now that we know each other.” She also confirmed on the show that she and Linn got engaged on Christmas Eve 2024 — nearly a year ago — though they kept the news private for months. Their plan had been to announce the engagement once they returned to Los Angeles, but then the wildfires hit, and as Reba put it, “There was not room for our joy in a devastating situation that everybody else was in.” So they waited. The secret stayed quiet until an awards reporter referred to Linn as her “fiancé,” and Reba admitted she didn’t correct her “because it sounded good.”
Even with the engagement now public, fans shouldn’t expect a glittering Hollywood wedding. Reba says that when the big day comes, it will be exactly what reflects her and Rex: low-key, comfortable, full of laughter, friends, and really good food. “Our big motto is just have fun,” she said. PEOPLE previously confirmed their engagement in September, noting that the couple “are very happy” after five years together.
Their romance may feel new to fans, but the roots go back decades. Reba and Rex first met in the early 90s while filming The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. They stayed friendly over the years, appearing on various projects — including Young Sheldon — but didn’t reconnect romantically until 2020, shortly after the passing of Reba’s mother. “When Mama got sick, he called me,” she explained in a previous Today interview. Conversation led to more conversation, then to in-person visits, and by June of that year, the two were inseparable.
Now, between filming Happy’s Place, coaching on The Voice, preparing for holiday performances in New York, and enjoying their engagement at a slow, steady pace, Reba says she’s exactly where she wants to be — working hard, laughing often, surrounded by people she loves, and savoring this chapter of life with the man who fits her world perfectly.