Is Reba McEntire's Southern Accent Real? Rumors Suggest She's Faking It

Several country singers give their music and brands some down-home rustic charm that resonates with their blue-collar fans. However, not everyone is convinced that artists like Reba McEntire sport genuine accents.

McEntire is often recognized for her upbeat personality, warmth, and snark as both a singer and actress. Despite the fame and incredibly lavish lifestyle she lives, not everyone is convinced her act is as genuine and unabashedly country as she portrays it. Some spectators think McEntire's Southern accent misses the mark as much as some of her makeup looks have. "I was born, raised and live in the South," one internet user wrote in a 2023 Quora post. "There are many types of Southern accents, and they vary from state to state and region to region. Even though Reba McEntire grew up in Oklahoma, to me her accent sounds like the Arkansas accent because of the twang she uses in her speech."

While some have cast doubt over her Southern twang's authenticity, the "(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven" singer, herself, said it was natural. Some onlookers were even shocked she kept it, to begin with. "When I went to L.A., and people had said, 'Oh, you kept your accent.' I said, 'Well, that's the way I talk,'" she said, per Southern Living. It seems the accent was a product of McEntire's life in her hometown before her fame, rather than a phony trait she picked up to help her career take off.

Rumors surrounding "I'm a Survivor" singer Reba McEntire's Southern accent and its believability reach back to earlier eras in her storied career. A 1984 article from The Oklahoman noted the possibility that her syllable-extending speech tendencies could be a sham. However, people from her home state might back up that she's displaying her true self.

Modern speculation regarding McEntire's accent could be nothing more than harmless internet gossip. But, even if she claimed it is authentic as can be, doubts that her drawl is truly as thick as molasses might have been backed up by one of her television colleagues.

Discussing his experiences coaching on "The Voice" for the first time, "Save the Last Dance for Me" artist Michael Bublé shared some supposed secrets that fans of the reality singing competition might not know. He dropped a small tidbit about the show's famous spinning red chairs, which he said also have seat warmers. Bublé also dished out some possibly image-destroying info on one of his fellow coaches. "Reba McEntire's accent is completely fake," he said in a clip from "The Kelly Clarkson Show" posted on Instagram on October 1, 2024. There's no doubt Bublé's jab at McEntire's speech pattern was mostly in jest, however, given he followed it up with his own rendition of a "totally real" Southern accent. We wouldn't be surprised, though, if some desperate viewers took his humorous claims and ran with them.