Reba McEntire Dishes on Her Happiest Chapter, Her Hit Show ‘Happy’s Place’ and Grandbaby News (EXCL.)

There’s really no substitute for true chemistry. Whether in romance or the work place, great chemistry always makes everything better—just ask Reba McEntire. The Country Music Hall of Famer is all smiles these days and she’s thankful for that great chemistry, on screen and off. 

“We are all different. That’s why the chemistry is so good,” Reba tells Woman’s World of Happy’s Place, the hit NBC sitcom, which returns for its third season on October 23. The show stars Reba’s fiancé Rex Linn and her longtime friend Melissa Peterman, along with Belissa Escobedo, Tokala Black Elk and Steve Castelblanco. Reba portrays Bobbie, a charming Southern woman who inherits her father’s Tennessee bar—then finds out she shares the inheritance with a half-sister she never knew.

“Rex and I have gotten to work together on different things and we live together,” Reba says as our cover girl (get your copy here!). “Melissa and I have worked together on many projects, not only the Reba show, and then here comes Belissa, Tokala and Steve. They are so heartfelt and they give a lot of love. Melissa and Rex and I have learned a lot from them and we love them all so much. It’s a real tight knit group to work with, not only the cast, but the crew, the producers, the show runner. Everybody wants the best for this show.”

Reba credits the show’s success to its relatability. “People love things that they can relate to and that’s what our show is,” she says. “It’s everyday situations that people have to deal with. It’s like a country song. It’s something a lot of people like to hear that they can relate to and sing along with.”

Fans of ‘Reba’ are loving ‘Happy’s Place’

Fans have embraced Happy’s Place and are thrilled to see Reba back on network television, even as her previous show, Reba, which originally ran from 2001 to 2007, continues to air in syndication. In addition to getting a regular dose of her character Reba Hart in reruns, viewers are connecting with Bobbie. 

Reba says the two women are very different. “Mrs. H was the voice of reason in the Reba show. Bobbie is not,” she notes. “It’s more Emmett is the voice of reason or Takoda is the voice of reason. They have the wisdom that brings us all together. Bobbie gets herself in more predicaments that everybody has to help her out of.”

The Oklahoma native sees herself in both characters. “I’m a combination of both. I get myself in predicaments that I need people to help me bail myself out of,” she says with a giggle, “and at times I’m like, ‘I see where this is going, we’re not doing this,’ so I’m both. That’s why I think I have a good time playing Bobbie or Reba.”

Music remains Reba’s passion

The one place where Reba is completely herself is her music. This year she celebrates 50 years of music and has been releasing new capsules throughout the year. Her fifth capsule, Tourist, is a five-song EP spotlighting the songs of Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Brandy Clark. “I love Brandy Clark’s writing. I love her singing. I love her,” Reba enthuses. “She is such a talented, warm-hearted, nice person.”

As for what she’d like to say to her fans after 50 years of making music, Reba smiles, “I hope I can say to the fans, we’re still finding great songs that the songwriters have written, giving them total credit. The song—if it’s strong—it will be a strong song today and it will be a strong song 50 years from now. Good quality songs hold up. Just like a book, just like a plan or movie. You can watch a movie from the ‘30s and sit there and cry or laugh because it’s a good movie. From the ‘60s or ‘70s, but if it’s not on the page, it can’t get on the stage. If you don’t learn it and put yourself into those words, you can’t perform it.”

Reba McEntire keeps herself busy

In addition to working on Happy’s Place and creating new music, Reba is involved in multiple ventures. She has her own restaurant, Reba’s Place, in Atoka, OK, and says her favorite comfort food is the eatery’s chicken fried chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes. 

Reba’s longtime love of trains led to a partnership with Canyon Spirit, a daylight-only train journey that takes travelers on a scenic journey through the American Southwest. “I love trains,” she smiles. “We went on the Canyon Spirit train and it was absolutely beautiful. We started in Denver and then went through just west of Aspen, Glenwood Springs, and then wound up in Moab, Utah. The scenery in between each place was beautiful.”

But perhaps the adventure she’s most excited about these days is seeing her son Shelby and his wife Marissa welcome their first child, a baby boy, this month. “They always say, you are only as happy as your children are. Well, my children are happy,” she says with a contented sigh. “I’ve been a grandma seven times, but the one I’m looking forward to is watching Shelby be a dad and Marissa be a mom because Mama always said you haven’t lived life until you’ve had a child of your own. I never really planned on having kids, but then when I wanted a child, God gave me Shelby and . . . he just brought us joy day after day.”

Reba admits she’s really enjoying life these days. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. I feel grateful. I know myself better,” Reba tells Woman’s World. “I’m 71 years old. I’m healthy. I’m happy and thankful. I get to work at the level that I want to work at with people who are so much fun and talented. When I go to work with the love of my life and step through those doors, it’s people with smiles on their faces. Nobody is in a bad mood and we know how blessed we are to get the job that we have. So I just take one day at a time and live in the present as much as I can and be grateful.”