Why Reba McEntire Initially ‘Evaded the Subject’ of Her Relationship With Rex Linn
Country icon Reba Mcentire grew tired of avoiding talking about her relationship with her boyfriend, actor Rex Linn. So, she invited him to be a guest on her podcast, Living & Learning With Reba McEntire.
They’d been together for almost two years by then and had known each other for decades before that. While McEntire said she kept the new love quiet at first for a reason, it was only a matter of time before she wanted to let fans in on her happy little secret.
Reba McEntire wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to talk about her relationship with Rex Linn
McEntire told listeners on her Spotify podcast she wanted to share the news of her new love with Linn sooner. When Kristin Chenoweth visited her show for a dating episode, there was talk with co-host and Reba co-star Melissa Peterman about finding “a person” for McEntire.
“I was kinda wanting to say, ‘Well, I’ve already got me this person,'” she shared. “But, you know, at that stage of the game, you don’t know if it’s gonna be something that sticks or not.”
She wondered what her new love might think about her in another year and whether it was a good idea to talk about their relationship openly. “So, we just evaded the subject,” she concluded.
Reba McEntire said she didn’t feel good about hiding her relationship with Rex Linn
Eventually, McEntire didn’t feel good about hiding that she was “kind of smitten” with Linn. So, she decided, “I think I need to publicly say that I am in love.”
And as she debuted the second season of her podcast, she had something to share. “Ladies and gentleman, I wanna tell you right now I’m still in love.” And she wasn’t done gushing there.
“[He’s] my boyfriend, the one I call ‘Sugar Tot,’ Rex Linn,” she said to introduce him. He returned her affection and called her “Tater Tot McEntire.”
“We’re the Tots,” she shared proudly. The names all stem from her love for tater tots, by the way.
Rex Linn said he was ‘so happy’ to be on Reba McEntire’s podcast
Though they began dating early in 2020 and their relationship reveal came later in the year, Linn didn’t make his debut on the Living & Learning with Reba McEntire podcast until 2021, when they’d been dating nearly two years. He said he listened to all the shows in the first season and was sad he wasn’t on with her.
“I was really nervous about stating my love for you publicly,” McEntire told him before adding it was a “big deal.”
“It is a big deal,” Linn agreed. “As a matter of fact, when you did that, my phone just started blowing up.” He said people “from all over” texted him to ask, “Are you dating Reba McEntire?”
But it made him “so happy” he could finally be a part of the show. Now they’ve reportedly been living together for some time, and she shared they’ve even discussed the possibility of marriage. But whether or not they wed, she said he’s the partner she waited for her whole life.
