A ‘Forever Love’! Meet Reba McEntire’s Boyfriend Rex Linn: Inside Their Sweet Relationship

Reba McEntire always gushes about boyfriend Rex Linn, and many fans can’t get enough of their sweet love. But who exactly is the country singer’s man, and when did their relationship begin?

Who Is Reba McEntire’s Boyfriend Rex Linn?

Rex is a film and TV actor from Texas, although he moved to Oklahoma as a young teen, according to multiple reports. He is most known for playing Sgt. Frank Tripp in CSI: Miami, as well as Principal Petersen in Young Sheldon and Buck Barnes in Big Sky. In the film industry, Rex is known for his roles in Rush Hour, Cliffhanger, Cutthroat Island and Wyatt Earp.

Rex is notoriously private about his love life, but he was reportedly previously engaged to Renee DeRese in 2010.

How Did Reba McEntire and Rex Linn Meet?

Though Reba and Rex only started dating in 2020, their first meeting happened years prior. The two first crossed paths on Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw in 1991, and they later reunited on Young Sheldon when Reba guest starred as June.

"We kept in contact over the years, we both know the same people," the Reba star explained on Watch What Happens Live. "So it was just like good friends getting back together and having dinner ... then we started texting and talking on the telephone and getting to know each other better during the quarantine."

Rex posted a photo with Reba online in January 2020, although it wasn’t clear at the time if they were dating. Then, the country musician confirmed the relationship in October that year, revealing that they had been together for six months.

“We’ve been talking,” she said of Rex during her “Living & Learning” podcast. “[He’s] very interesting, very funny [and] very smart. It's good to have a person to talk to, laugh with, get into subjects about what's going on. Discussions about our past, our family, funny stories, him being an actor, me being an actress. And he's very into my music. I'm very into his career."

A source told Closer Weekly that month that Reba and Rex were “head over heels in love” already.

“Reba can’t remember feeling so strongly about a man,” the insider shared. “She is absolutely smitten by Rex and thinks he’s just fabulous and such a sweetheart. She describes him as a breath of fresh air and gets butterflies whenever she hears his voice.”

Are Reba McEntire and Rex Linn Getting Married?

Reba and Rex are still going strong as of January 2024, but will they walk down the aisle anytime soon? The “I’m a Survivor” hitmaker — who was previously married to Charlie Battles from 1976 to 1987 and Narvel Blackstock from 1989 to 2015 — revealed in November 2023 that she’s ready to tie the knot again. However, she’s leaving the decision up to him.

“I said, ‘If you want to, that’s fine with me.’ I’ve been married twice. He’s never been married. So if he wants to, that’s totally up to him,” Reba shared during another Watch What Happens Live appearance. “We’ve talked about [getting married] and giggled about it. We thought, ‘Man, if we ever did have a ceremony, we would have to have a 2 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 6 o’clock and an 8 o’clock because we have so many friends, acquaintances and family.”