The Unconventional Way Reba McEntire First Got "Intimacy" with Boyfriend Rex Linn
The Happy's Place co-stars started dating during COVID lockdown, which brought a specific set of challenges.
Reba McEntire and her boyfriend, actor Rex Linn, have known each other since 1991. They first met on the set of The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw, but they didn't romantically link up until 29 years later, when McEntire's appearance on Young Sheldon reunited them. (Linn had a recurring role on the series.) The fateful crossing prompted the two to meet for dinner, and the rest is history.
"I don't know what it was; timing is everything," McEntire told E! News about dating Linn. "I've been married twice, and for some reason Rex Linn — it was just like a magnet. I had to get in there to see him at the restaurant."
Sparks flew that night over dinner, but their courtship was thwarted by the COVID-19 lockdown. Ultimately, the Happy's Place star says this was a blessing in disguise because it allowed her and Linn to find "intimacy" on a deeper level rather quickly. How they did this was a little unconventional but relatable for anyone who started dating someone during lockdown.
"Because of the pandemic, we didn't get to see each other from January to June 16 [2020]," McEntire told E! News. "But we created an intimacy by texting and talking on the telephone that we wouldn't have gotten if we'd been together all that time. So it was special, and it was a great way of finding out about each other without ever touching. We've been pretty much inseparable ever since June 16, 2020. It was a wonderful way to get to know each other better."
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Will Reba McEntire and Rex Linn get married?
McEntire told E! News she is open to marriage if that's something Linn wants. "I've been married twice. After the second one dissolved, I don't have much faith in being bound by a piece of paper or a ring," she said. "I'm truly committed to Rex, so if that's something he feels totally strong about, that's fine with me. He's never been married before. So if he wants to experience that, I'm OK with that."
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"He makes me laugh," McEntire said when asked how she knew Linn was "the one." "He is a very caring, down-to-earth, funny individual. He's got a very witty sense of humor."
Both Reba McEntire and Rex Linn star on NBC's sitcom Happy's Place, which is streaming on Peacock now.
