Reba McEntire and Boyfriend Rex Linn Dazzle on the 2024 ACM Awards Red Carpet

Reba McEntire had the support of her boyfriend, Rex Linn, as she prepared to host the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, May 16.

The singer, 69, and the actor, 67, walked the red carpet together ahead of the 59th annual awards show in Texas. McEntire dazzled in a black jumpsuit with sequin blazer and turquoise necklace. She wore her iconic red locks in a half-up, half-down hairstyle. Linn donned black slacks and a matching shirt with a leather jacket.

McEntire is hosting the ceremony for a record 17th time. She first helmed the awards show in 1986 and most recently served in the role in 2019. This year, she took over from Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, who cohosted the 2023 event. McEntire is also set to perform her new song, “I Can’t,” which she debuted on The Voice earlier this month.

McEntire first met Linn while on the set of the 1991 film The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. They remained friends over the years, but their relationship did not turn romantic until they reconnected while working on Young Sheldon in 2020.

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“It was just like a magnet,” McEntire told E! News in April of her connection with Linn.

Although the couple felt instant chemistry, they were initially forced to spend time apart due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped rather than hurt their dynamic.

“We didn’t get to see each other from January ‘til June 16, but we created an intimacy by texting and talking over the telephone that we wouldn’t have gotten if we’d have been together all of that time,” she explained, noting that they have been “pretty much inseparable” ever since.

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While learning more about each other from a distance, McEntire and Linn strengthened their bond without focusing solely on physical attraction.

“You know the ins and outs of their personality and their faults,” she said. “You love them for the way they are, instead of it being a total attraction and sizing them up because of appearance.”

McEntire has been divorced twice after her marriages to Charlie Battles from 1976 to 1987 and Narvel Blackstock from 1989 to 2015, but she is still open to tying the knot with Linn.

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“I’m truly committed to Rex,” she shared. “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.”

In her 2023 book, Not That Fancy, McEntire revealed the secret to her enduring relationship with Linn.

“He’s the first person I talk to when I get up each morning and the last person I talk to before I go to sleep each night,” she wrote at the time. “I’m having fun being in love again. Romantic relationships should be fun — I don’t care how old you are. Love should bring you joy and make you feel good, and I’m never going to settle for anything less.”