Reba McEntire’s Boyfriend Rex Linn Made Her Take the Super Bowl Gig

Can't wait to see Reba McEntire perform the National Anthem at the 2024 Super Bowl game next month? You've got her boyfriend, actor Rex Linn, to thank.

In a Thursday (Jan. 18) CBS Mornings slot, McEntire jumped on video chat to discuss her upcoming appearance at the big game — and said that it was Linn who pushed her to say "yes" to the gig.

"I got the news from my manager, Justin McIntosh. He said that they wanted me to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl," she recalls. "And I said, 'Oh my gosh. Well, let me think about that.'"

"And Rex Linn, my boyfriend, who is a huge football fan, he said, 'Yes, she'll do it, absolutely,'" she adds.

• McEntire will be giving one of three patriotic performances to kick off the game. She's singing the National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."
• Rapper Post Malone is booked for a rendition of "America the Beautiful," and Andra Day will sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
• R&B legend Usher will play the coveted Super Bowl halftime show slot in 2024.

McEntire has about half a century of experience singing the National Anthem. She traces the beginning of her major-league career success back to a 1974 performance of the anthem she gave at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma — where she was "discovered," she says.

"I sang the National Anthem [at the National Finals Rodeo] for 10 years," she explains, in response to a question about how she prepares for a performance of this uniquely high-pressure and difficult song.

"How you get ready for it, you just warm up like you do a concert, sing it about five or six times, then get in there and do it."

McEntire and Linn have known each other for decades, but they've only been dating since 2020. Linn has never been married, while McEntire has tied the knot twice before. She was previously married to talent manager Narvel Blackstock, with whom she shares a son named Shelby.

The couple have said they're in no rush to foray into marriage, though McEntire has also been clear that she's open to the idea, saying it's "up to him totally" and that she's enjoying traveling and spending time with Rex.

During one of the live tapings on the most recent season of The Voice, where McEntire is a coach through next season, she stirred up a little buzz by wearing a very glitzy diamond ring on her left hand — but she also confirmed at the time that she's not planning a wedding just yet.