Reba McEntire and her fiancé, Rex Linn, are ditching their usual Thanksgiving events for a brand new tradition.
“For Thanksgiving, we’re gonna go see a double-header at the movies and go out to eat,” McEntire told People in an interview published on Thursday, November 27.
The county star explained that she is a “very low key” person, typically preferring “cozy nights in, no makeup, all that kind of stuff.” And while this will be the couple’s first turkey day without cooking traditional dinner, they’ve been enjoying laid-back holidays for awhile.
“Valentine’s Day, we go to Sonic and have hamburgers and tater tots,” McEntire shared. “And then Thanksgiving, we’re starting our new tradition!”
McEntire and Linn met in 1991 while filming The Gambler Returns, but their relationship didn’t turn romantic until three decades later when they reconnected on the set of Young Sheldon. “We instantly bonded over living in Oklahoma and our love for horses and acting,” McEntire wrote in her 2023 book of the pair’s instant connection. “He made me laugh, and we became good buddies.”
After sparking a romance in 2020 — and becoming costars on NBC sitcom Happy’s Place — McEntire revealed at the Emmy Awards in September that she and Linn are engaged. She later confessed that the proposal took place on Christmas Eve, and the duo kept their engagement news under wraps for nearly one year.
Earlier this month, McEntire exclusively told Us Weekly that wedding planning is currently on hold due to work keeping the couple so busy.
“Wedding planning is impossible because of scheduling,” she explained while attending the Paley Honors Fall Gala on November 10. “We’re like, ‘Well, we want it this month, but if work comes up, we’ll be there for work, and then we’ll go get married later.’”
She added, “Work comes first, in other words.”
In October, McEntire told People she’d “never been loved” by anyone the way she is by Linn. (McEntire was previously married to Charlie Battles from 1976 to 1987 and Narvel Blackstock from 1989 to 2015, with whom she shares one son, Shelby.)
She noted that their show Happy’s Place, in which they play friends and coworkers who fall in love, is a good representation of who they are in real life.
“Wherever we go, that is our Happy’s Place,” she said. “Getting to work with Rex, drive to work with Rex and do the show, the rehearsals, drive home, talk about it, rehearse together — that’s what’s really special for me. I’ve not had that before.”
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During her Us Weekly cover story one year earlier, McEntire further gushed that she and Linn are “best friends” and share the same “likes and dislikes,” which help them get along even more.
“We’re foodies. We love to cook. We each wanted to be a cowboy and a cowgirl,” she shared. “Then we got into the entertainment business instead. Our dynamic works on and off screen.”
McEntire continued with what makes them the perfect pairing, adding, “Rex brings out the little girl in me, and I have fun. I’m dorky, I’m goofy. He is too. We love to laugh, and we love each other. We both love watching television. We’re always on the lookout for a new series or movie to watch. He says that it’s his homework, watching other actors and learning from them. I do it for pure enjoyment.”
