All of this happened in the last 30 days. All of this happened after McEntire (69) celebrated 40 years in the entertainment industry. There is no precedent for her late-career surge.

OK, Asher HaVon actually won the the NBC reality show, but he did it with McEntire’s guidance. 

This was her second season as coach; during Season 24 her team finished second and fourth. On Tuesday, her team took the top two spots as Josh Sanders was named runner-up.

There’s no doubt that heading into Season 26, Team Reba is the team to beat. She’s begun her career as Voice coach in a way similar to Blake Shelton, the show’s GOAT.

It’s worth noting that HaVon is the show’s first LGBTQ+ winner. 

There is a think piece to be written about how McEntire helped facilitate that.

But we’ll stop short of speculation other than to note that she’s long been an ally in a genre not known for equality.

Happy’s Place is just McEntire’s most recent television endeavor. The fall sitcom follows her turn as Sunny Barnes in the ABC drama Big Sky: Deadly Trails. In between, she and boyfriend Rex Linn starred in a made-for-TV movie called The Hammer.

None of these productions materialized out of thin air. She has been working to get to this point for years — perhaps since divorcing her former manager Narvel Blackstock.

Progress was slow at first — an announced spin as Idgie Threadgoode in a TV remake of Fried Green Tomatoes didn’t materialize — but she kept her wits about her.

“What I’ve learned from Fried Green Tomatoes is you’d better have lots of balls in the air and plates spinning, because you never know which one is going to go through,” McEntire told Taste of Country in 2021.

After spending a few years re-releasing selections from her catalog, McEntire is once again focused on new music. She premiered a song called “I Can’t” on the Voice and then performed it at the ACM Awards. Fans loved the performance and asked for more. No album details have been announced.

Most remarkable about the Country Music Hall of Fame singer’s late-career surge is that she hasn’t changed who she is on stage or on screen. All of her characters on TV feel born from her own no-nonsense personality (this made the prospect of her playing Threadgoode in FGT so fascinating).

The music is in line with songs from a decade ago and her advice and approach to media has remained practical and businesslike. At an age when most country singers give way to the passing next generation, Reba is racing them like her next meal depends on it.

See the cast of Reba McEntire’s TV show Reba, then and now with updates on where each of the primary actors ended up.

2024 update: Several producers and at least two stars are teaming up for a new NBC sitcom called Happy’s Place in 2024. McEntire is the star of the show.

Reba Nell Hart is a single mother recently divorced from a dentist, Brock Hart. She is the star of the show and her no-nonsense, wise-cracking ways drove ratings.

She’s Reba! The television series and its eventual cancelation didn’t slow McEntire’s music career. While she’s not getting rewarded with radio airplay, the Hall of Famer keeps creating great albums while she maintains a high profile as host of shows like the ACM Awards.

Within the last five years, McEntire’s acting resume has really grown as the star of shows like Big Sky: Deadly Trails on ABC and (in fall 2024) Happy’s Place on NBC.

Barbara Jean was a stereotypical dumb blonde, but her big heart and affection for Reba — despite being the one who broke up the marriage — was charming. The new Mrs. Hart found out she was pregnant on early on during the series. She remained on the show to the end.

Peterman and McEntire remain very good friends, with the actress and comedian often appearing during specials like the ACM Awards. They’re a peanut butter and jelly kind of duo, but on her own Peterman has been very successful. Most notably, for six seasons she starred as Bonnie, the mother on Baby Daddy on ABC Family.

Beginning in fall 2024, Peterman will join McEntire on Happy’s Place on NBC.

Reba’s ex-husband is Brock Hart, a dentist who has an affair with his hygienist. The tension between the two ex-lovers was both relatable and a great source of comedy.

Unlike many of the stars of Reba, Christopher Rich had TV experience prior to the show and he kept trucking after it was canceled. He divorced in real life, as well. In this picture he’s seen with wife Eva Halina Rich. They were married in 2003.

Professionally, Rich has slowed way down in the last decade

Van Montgomery matched wits with Barbara Jean on the show. He got Reba’s daughter pregnant and later moved in with the family when he was thrown out of his own house. The show’s star and the football player become very close.

Howey burst out of any notion of typecasting after wrapping the show. These days he’s anything but a dolt, with his best role post-show being as Kevin in Shameless since 2011. He’s now married to actress Sarah Shahi and together the couple have three kids.

In 2023, Howey starred in CBS’ True Lies. The show has been canceled.

As a character, Cheyenne enjoyed the largest arc. She gets pregnant as a senior in high school, marries, tries to become a dentist, realizes she’s an alcoholic and decides to help others with addiction by the end. While at times selfish, fans grew to love the big, caring heart beneath the surface.

Joanna Garcia added the Swisher when she married MLB star Nick Swisher in 2010, but she’s also remained very busy in film and television, starring as the lead role in two-short lived programs and earning recurring roles on several others. Most recently she was on Kevin (Probably) Saves the World on ABC.

Reba’s second daughter Kyra has a quick wit like her mother, which is a great source of humor and perhaps some hurt feelings. The middle child is also a child with challenges, and she disappeared completely for most of the fifth season. There was a real-life reason for that 

Reba was Pomers’ last television role, but she tried music as frontwoman for the Scarlett Pomers Band for awhile after the show (the Facebook page was last updated in 2014). Sadly she battled an eating disorder while on the show. The depth of her battle with anorexia came out only after the show was through. It’s something she was treated for when she was 16.

2024 update: Pomers’ has pulled further back from the public eye by deleting her Instagram page.

Jake was the sensible little kid on the show while his older siblings and parents often acted very un-adultlike. His role grew as the show went on.

Holleman has had a few Hollywood roles since Reba ended in 2007, including that of “Max” in the movie The Hangover (2009). We don’t remember who Max was, either, but the kid is only 29 today so his future is still bright.

On social media, he identifies as a musician, actor, writer and comedian but his profiles have been pretty quiet for the last few years. We can confirm he got married in 2020.

Reba McEntire is one of the most revered country stars of all time — but also in entertainment. She’s been successful as both an actor and a singer since the 1970s, and nearly 50 years later, she’s in headlines as much as ever. Look back at photos of Reba when she was younger, before she became the star we know today.

Reba McEntire, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn perform together at the Rosemont Horizon.

Reba chats during an interview with guest host Jay Leno on July 17, 1990

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Source: Los Angeles Times