Little Known Facts About Reba McEntire

It can be difficult to imagine that there was ever a time when a seemingly natural-born star like Reba McEntire wanted to go down a completely different career path. While the country legend chatted with Cody Johnson for his 2021 film "Dear Rodeo," she revealed that her childhood dream was actually to be known as a world champion barrel racer. During a 2022 interview with the Columbus Dispatch, Reba recalled how her father, Clark McEntire, who was a rodeo champion himself, urged her to pick a different career path, arguing, "Reba, I don't know why you want to do something you're not good at." Clark also told his daughter that her true calling was in music. 

The country icon also shared with Johnson that Clark had encouraged her to make a quick buck out of her love of the rodeo by performing the national anthem there. And Reba took heed of his advice, regularly singing at rodeo shows starting in 1974. Reba's childhood dreams and passions ultimately brought her closer to her future job. In "Dear Rodeo," Reba revealed that Red Steagall watched her perform at the National Finals Rodeo in 1974 and told her mother he wanted to help her get a record deal. 

Although Reba's stunning transformation into a country icon began right then and there, she still attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University and got a degree in elementary education with a minor in music in 1976. However, as we all know by now, she didn't need it because a career full of unexpected opportunities awaited her. 

In 2019, Reba McEntire confirmed on "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen" that she had originally been offered the part of Molly Brown in "Titanic." The Broadway star was onboard with the box office mega-hit because its initial schedule fit right in with hers. However, the production got delayed and ended up clashing with her tour dates. McEntire explained that she didn't want to disappoint her tour crew, who relied on the singer for their livelihoods, so she backed out of the project, and Kathy Bates replaced her. 

Although the country darling was understandably bummed about missing out on taking part in the highly successful film, McEntire knew she made the right decision. Meanwhile, in a 2023 chat with Yahoo! Entertainment, McEntire noted that she had complimented Bates for her outstanding performance in "Titanic." Some fans may not know that McEntire's foray into filmmaking actually began in 1992, with the cult horror "Tremors." 

As McEntire admitted to Esquire in 2020, although she had always been passionate about acting, she hadn't ever dabbled in the craft beforehand, or had any formal training either. Meanwhile, in a behind-the-scenes video for "Tremors," the country star recalled how she couldn't contain her excitement when she completed her first take, and started screaming, "Yes, I did it! [...] That was my first take!" Additionally, there is also plenty that fans don't know about McEntire's cameos in "Young Sheldon."

While discussing her Broadway debut in "Annie Get Your Gun" with the New York Post, in 2001, Reba McEntire listed at least one major reason why she was perfect for the role. "I love taking skeet- and trap-shooting lessons," she pointed out. "I have several guns at home locked up in a very nice safe. It's very competitive when you're shooting that little round pigeon thing." In a 2005 chat with Larry King, for CNN, the country legend shared that she had first learned how to shoot for her role in the 1995 western movie "Buffalo Girls." 

McEntire had such a blast while trap and skeet-shooting that she eventually started doing them at her leisure too. Somewhat surprisingly, that isn't her only unexpected pastime. While speaking to The Boot, in 2008, the "Just a Little Love" hitmaker was asked how she would make the most of her odd day off. In response, McEntire discussed her great love of photography and how she would spend her downtime tinkering with the snaps she took.

However, it wasn't just her own photography that she was obsessed with since the Grammy winner also loved receiving pics from her friends and family that she could scan on her computer. In a 2011 interview with South Coast Today, McEntire proudly confirmed that she had uploaded at least 12,000 photos to her laptop in the prior three years alone. McEntire expanded her creative horizons by adding music, clips from home movies, and her own narration to her favorite shots from various family vacations. 

During a 2008 chat with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Reba McEntire divulged that her friendship with Former President George H.W. Bush began in 2004 when he invited the country star and her then-husband Narvel Blackstock to join him on a scenic cruise around Greece. The "Fancy" songstress formed a deeper bond with the politician following their trip as they stayed in regular touch through E-mails. "We e-mail each other on our Treos all the time — nothing political, just passing jokes back and forth," McEntire said. 

Likewise, in a 2008 Entertainment Weekly interview, McEntire noted that George was her "joke buddy." She also recalled how she had watched him and Barbara Bush at a World Series game and encouraged them to enjoy a hot dog for her sake. And the politician had advised her to watch the screen when a certain batter came out to play because he would wave to her. The pair apparently remained friends until George's death because she delivered an emotional performance of "The Lord's Prayer" at his memorial that made his son, George W. Bush, cry. 

Notably, the former president wasn't her only unlikely pen pal. In 2008, long-standing McEntire fan Sgt. Marcus Randolph excitedly revealed that she had reached out to him during his deployment and thanked him for his service. Eventually, Randolph even got the chance to meet his pen pal in person. Although he was completely starstruck, he still gushed about McEntire, "She is very down to earth and really truly cares about the soldiers. [...] I felt so at home with her."

In 2007, Billboard announced that Reba McEntire would be its first-ever Woman of The Year. As the Hollywood Reporter noted at the time, the country darling responded to the honor by enthusing, "Although my career has taken me to TV, film and Broadway, music is and always will be my first love. I am touched to be embraced in such a warm way." Before Billboard group editorial director Tamara Conniff interviewed McEntire, she clarified that they had selected her for the honor because of her undeniable contributions to music and television throughout her celebrated, decades-spanning career. 

Moreover, the exec stated that the "Reba" star continued to inspire and uplift incoming generations of artists too. However, McEntire remained humble as ever, acknowledging that she was unsure why the honor was being bestowed upon her in the first place. The Grammy winner even speculated that it was because she had been in the news a lot throughout the year. In addition to being Billboard's first Woman of the Year, McEntire is also the first woman to play Colonel Sanders. 

In a 2018 KFC ad, the Broadway star memorably donned Sanders' clothes and belted out a song to convince everyone that she was the same old Sanders and "definitely [was] not a woman," (via YouTube). In a statement, McEntire confirmed that she happily jumped at the opportunity since KFC had been a key part of her childhood, hilariously adding, "I've held a lot of roles in my life — sort of like the Colonel himself — but this is certainly the most unique one yet," (via CNN).

In 2013, Reba McEntire's stepson, Brandon Blackstock, tied the knot with Kelly Clarkson, and the country legend officially became her step-mother-in-law. Although the two singers headed out on the road together, back in 2008, for their 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour, their bond naturally deepened when they became family. During a 2023 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen," Clarkson sweetly shared that her close relationship with McEntire wasn't affected by her split from Blackstock in 2020 since they were both practical people who knew that some relationships just weren't meant to be. 

In fact, the "Miss Independent" hitmaker kept in regular touch with her former step-mother-in-law through texts. Meanwhile, in a 2021 interview with Extra TV, McEntire clarified that she wasn't picking sides between Blackstock and Clarkson because she loved them both and wished them nothing but happiness in the future. Before the "American Idol" winner sang "Faith" to honor McEntire at The Kennedy Centre in 2018, she gushed, "Thank you so much for comforting me on the phone through my tears, like a friend. And thank you for being a really rad grandma for my kids."

Notably, Clarkson isn't the only country singer that the Grammy winner shares an interesting past with. During a 2006 interview with Larry King for CNN, Faith Hill confirmed that she had auditioned to become her backup singer, but the part ultimately went to Paula Kaye Evans, who died in a 1991 plane crash that killed all of McEntire's band members. However, Hill told King that she didn't believe the rejection was fated, asserting, "I didn't get it because I wasn't good enough."