Reba McEntire & Rex Linn Confirm Longtime Rumor At 2025 Emmys

Reba McEntire and longtime love Rex Linn hit the red carpet in style at the 2025 Emmys, and the music icon confirmed a rumor that has been swirling for some time: she and Linn are engaged! The "Happy's Place" co-stars have been dating for five years, after reconnecting on the set of "Young Sheldon" in January 2020. The pair sparked a sweet romance a few months later — which even saw Linn give McEntire an adorable nickname on their very first date — and has evolved into the couple getting ready to tie the knot.

The confirmation came on the red carpet on September 14, 2025, when the songstress and her beau spoke with a reporter hosting the "Live From E!: 2025 Emmys" broadcast. The interviewer called Linn McEntire's "fiance" and the "I'm a Survivor" singer smiled and nodded. When asked about working together, McEntire gleefully said, "We're having a blast on 'Happy's Place' and so glad to be here tonight," without any effort to correct the remark. People later confirmed the news as well.

The confirmation comes after several years of speculation that the pair had decided to take their relationship to the next level. Back in December 2023, McEntire got the rumor mill turning when she wore a diamond ring on her finger ahead of a live episode of the NBC singing competition series "The Voice." However, she told Entertainment Tonight that she "just found it" and wanted to get everyone talking, denying that she and Linn had actually taken that next step. She wore a different outfit for the live show and ended up removing the notable piece of jewelry.

In August 2015, Reba McEntire's love life publicly imploded after she told the world she and her husband, Narvel Blackstock, were breaking up after 26 years of marriage. While Blackstock wasted no time in moving on after their split, McEntire didn't find a serious partner to share her wildly lavish life with again until she and Rex Linn began dating five years later. The entertainers first met back in 1991 and then reconnected on set in January 2020, and began dating several months later. However, with her divorce from Blackstock and her previous divorce from her first husband, Charlie Battles, McEntire told E! News in April 2024 that any possible wedding in the future would be Linn's choice.

"If that's something he feels totally strong about, that's fine with me," McEntire said at the time. "He's never been married before. So, if he wants to experience that, I'm OK with that." McEntire raved about how much she loves him, while also explaining she no longer "[has] much faith in being bound by a piece of paper or ring."

If the 2025 Emmys red carpet were any indication, the pair will look adorable walking down the aisle together as well. McEntire was invited to the star-studded show this year to honor "The Golden Girls," in celebration of the iconic sitcom's 40th anniversary. McEntire was tapped to perform a musical tribute during the ceremony, alongside fellow country songstresses Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman.