Reba McEntire Assures Fans What They See Is What They Get: ‘Reba Is Reba’
Superstar singer Reba McEntire likes to stay busy, and she appreciates what she gets to do with her life. Of course, she gives her devotees a lot of love and credit for making it all possible. But the country queen attributes the morals and values that seem to make her a fan favorite to her deep roots and childhood.
Notably, McEntire says she stays true to herself and is not a whole lot different than the version of Reba she played on TV. But how does the iconic singer stay so grounded?
Reba McEntire: ‘What people see is what they get.’
According to McEntire, something that draws loyal admirers to her is her down-to-earth attitude about her fame. “I think what people see is what they get. I’ve always been very open,” she told Parade. “Reba is Reba.”
She further explained that she’s a lot like the character on the sitcom, Reba. And that’s because she’s “trying to do the right thing always.”
But according to McEntire, it’s a bit more serious than having a desire to do the “right” thing. She said she risks developing an ailment by doing the wrong thing.
“It’s easiest for me to do the right thing,” she explained. “Not doing the right thing makes you feel bad and then you just feel physically sick after a while.”
Reba McEntire: ‘My roots have made me what I am today.’
As an internationally beloved icon, McEntire credits her hard-working parents and a close-knit family bond with molding her into the superstar of a person she is in 2022. During her childhood in Oklahoma, McEntire’s father, Clark, was a champion steer roper and her mother, Jacqueline, was a schoolteacher.
“I was surrounded with great teachers, my mom and dad, my actual teachers in school. Living by example is the way they really taught me and not by preaching to me,” she said in her Parade interview.
Growing up on a farm, she learned a “great [work] ethic at a young age” from her father. “I worked hard as a kid,” she noted. “We all did.”
Notably, McEntire’s mother inspired her to sing and not give up on her dreams of becoming an entertainer. But she said both her late parents instilled in her the drive she uses to navigate her success. And though she’s experienced the highest heights of fame, she feels those special bonds made her and keep her true to herself.
“My roots have made me what I am today,” she said. “My values, my morals, the people I grew up with.”
Reba McEntire: ‘I have maybe come full circle.’
As McEntire explained to Parade, there are some things about her that haven’t changed since her earliest experiences performing. She feels she’s the same “little girl who was craving to be rich and famous.”
More specific to that point, she said she still has “the drive of a competitor” and wants something more and better from life. And of course, she’s always “wanted happiness along the way.”
At the same time, she thinks she’s smarter because of the people who were there to guide her through. And she feels she’s “changed in many ways [and has] maybe come full circle” in some respects, as well. “I am growing and maturing and not worrying,” she explained. “I am not a worrier.”
So, fans know who McEntire is, as well as who she is not.
