Side-By-Side Pics Of Reba McEntire & Her Son Show How Much Their Lives Have Transformed
The world knows Reba McEntire as one of the Queens of Country Music, but to Shelby Blackstock, she has always been "mom." Shelby, born in 1990, is McEntire's one and only son with her ex-husband and former manager, Narvel Blackstock. Reba was a superstar at the time of Shelby's birth. She had won her first Grammy as well as five CMA awards, released three chart-topping albums, and had made numerous hit singles. She even formed her own company, Starstruck Entertainment, to manage her career. But McEntire did not pause her career after Shelby was born, and he even joined her on tours.
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And of course, both of their lives have drastically changed since then. The picture on the left was taken in 1994, when Reba released her first memoir, "Reba, My Story," starred in several movies and TV shows, including "The Little Rascals," and released her 18th album, "Read My Mind." Shelby was turning four that year.
The picture on the right was taken in 2024, when Shelby was 34, and Reba was 69. According to Shelby's LinkedIn, he was working as a Business Development Manager and a principal of a construction company. Meanwhile, Reba was guest-starring on "Young Sheldon" and leading her own show "Happy Place." Shelby still has the same boyish grin, but his hair has darkened, and he now has a beard. Rebah has had a major face transformation over the past 30 years, and she no longer has curly hair.
Shelby Blackstock took a different career path than his mother
Often, children of celebrities follow in their footsteps, but Shelby took an entirely different route. In 2010, Shelby left school early to become a racecar driver and went on to compete in several championships. In 2020, Shelby and his racing partner, Trent Hindman, won the silver division of GT World Challenge America, one of the biggest U.S. American races. Reba McEntire told the Boot in 2011 that her son was always fascinated by cars, but "this thing with Shelby and racing came out of nowhere."
After 2020, Shelby retired from racing and settled down, marrying his girlfriend, Marissa Branch, in 2022 at Disney World. In April 2026, the couple posted on Instagram that they were expecting their first child. In 2022, McEntire told People that she had learned so much from being Shelby's parent. "I was a very self-centered person to a degree before Shelby," she said. "But then there's a little character who you are given the job to protect and nurture and love and teach, so all the attention's not on you anymore."
McEntire has faced numerous tragedies over the last 30 years, including her divorce from Shelby's father, Narvel Blackstock, in 2015. In 2016, she described the divorce as unwanted on her part (via CBS News). But McEntire has moved on to a new relationship with Rex Linn, a fellow actor. People reported that she got engaged to Rex Linn in December 2024.