Reba McEntire and her actor boyfriend Rex Linn don’t have to leave work to enjoy a quick moment of connection and conversation.
The singer’s new NBC sitcom, Happy’s Place, casts McEntire as the new owner of a bar and restaurant. That means the set is the perfect backdrop for a mini-date night in between takes — and co-star Melissa Peterman says McEntire and Linn can sometimes be found using it as their own hang-out spot during downtime on set.
“It’s adorable,” Peterman tells People, “…Oftentimes…we’re taking a five-minute break or we’re having breakfast or lunch and you look over…and they’re in a booth at the bar. And it looks like they’re legitimately on a date at a restaurant just sitting together being so adorably cute.”
- McEntire and Linn first crossed paths in 1991, on the set of Kenny Rogers’ movie The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. At the time, McEntire was married to Narvel Blackstock.
- Decades later, in 2020, they reconnected when McEntire guest-starred on Young Sheldon, a show that featured Linn.
- They bonded during the COVID-19 pandemic with phone calls and virtual coffee dates.
The couple’s earliest meetings surrounded on-screen work, and they’ve continued to act together as their personal relationship blossomed. More recently, they co-starred in the ABC drama series Big Sky.
So even though they sometimes use their break time as a date, Peterman stresses that Linn and McEntire are all business once the cameras start rolling again.
“I will also add they’re really professional about it too,” she notes. “I mean, it’s, it’s very cute. But at the same time, the minute we get back to work, you’re back to work and you make her run lines all the time.”
Also speaking to People, Linn says he and his country legend girlfriend have found a balance between work and fun.
“Well, we’re running lines constantly, but every once in a while I’ll sneak by for a quick kiss,” he says. “Just a peck on the cheek and keep on moving. It’s fun.”
Happy’s Place will premiere on Friday (Oct. 18) on NBC. McEntire is also a coach on the current season of The Voice.