Reba McEntire Is Engaged to Rex Linn! All About the Surprising Way the Couple Confirmed Their New Relationship Status

Singer and actress Reba McEntire may be famous for referring to herself as "a single mom" in her hit song "I'm a Survivor," but she's definitely not single anymore. Last night, while walking the red carpet at the 2025 Emmy Awards, McEntire confirmed that she and her Happy’s Place costar Rex Linn are engaged. McEntire shared the happy news during an interview with Live From E!: 2025 Emmys correspondent Zuri Hall, the outlet reports, and a representative for the couple also confirmed the engagement to People.

McEntire and Linn have been dating for five years, but they've known each other for much longer than that. They first met in the 1990s on the set of the Kenny Rogers film The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. They remained friendly before reconnecting on the set of Young Sheldon, and when McEntire's mom passed away in 2020, Linn was quick to reach out. "Starting in March of 2020, we just kept talking and visiting and finally got together, see each other in June," McEntire said during an interview with Today in 2021. "And we've been pretty much inseparable ever since."

According to People, the pair have been engaged for a few months, but they've kept the news relatively quiet. One of the ways they've been able to do that? McEntire doesn't appear to have a flashy engagement ring—or, if she does, she chooses not to wear it. She has been spotted with a new ring in recent months, though, and even had it on during her red carpet appearance last night. It seems that the actress is wearing a simple infinity band made with dark stones—maybe sapphires, black diamonds, or black opals—on the fourth finger of her left hand. Whether or not it's the ring Linn used to pop the question, it seems as if McEntire is using it to mark the change in her relationship status.

Marriage has been on the couple's radar for years. McEntire, who has been married twice before, said that she and Linn, who has never been married but was previously engaged, talked about their ideal wedding to Extra in 2021. "We’ve talked about it and giggled about it," she said when asked if the couple would ever consider tying the knot. "We thought, ‘Man if we ever had a ceremony, we would have to have a 2 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 6 o’clock and an 8 o’clock ‘cause we have so many friends, acquaintances, and family.”

For his part, Linn seems as infatuated with his new fiancée as she is with him. Earlier this year, he told WBIR Channel 10 that being with McEntire is "a dream come true." "We are best friends. We wanna cross the finish line with each other in a relationship," he said at the time.