Reba McEntire 2017-present: Rockin' R Records, Reba's Business Inc., Gospel album When did she join Rockin R records? McEntire announced that she was releasing her first Gospel album titled Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope. It was released by Nash Icon/Rockin' R Records on February 3, What songs were on that gospel album? Disc one contains traditional hymns while disc two contains original tracks. "Softly and Tenderly", featuring Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood, was the first track Were there any other guest stars on the album? Another track on the album, "In the Garden/Wonderful Peace", features The Isaacs. Were any of the songs popular? McEntire won the Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album, her first nomination since 2007, and her first Grammy Award win in more than twenty years, Did she receive any other awards for the album? She also headlined the C2C: Country to Country festival in the UK alongside Brad Paisley and Zac Brown Band in March.
What did she do with Reba's Business Inc?
What did Reba McEntire do with Reba's Business Inc?
After her split from ex-husband, Narvel Blackstock, Reba took control of her career as her own manager. She recruited Justin McIntosh of Starstruck Entertainment, Leslie Matthews serving as Brand Manager, and Carolyn Snell who has been with McEntire for nine years. They formed Reba's Business Inc. (RBI). She moved out of the building she and Blackstock had worked in, and moved her company to Green Hills, Nashville.  On December 15, 2016, McEntire announced that she was releasing her first Gospel album titled Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope. It was released by Nash Icon/Rockin' R Records on February 3, 2017, and consists of two discs. Disc one contains traditional hymns while disc two contains original tracks. "Softly and Tenderly", featuring Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood, was the first track off the album released. Another track on the album, "In the Garden/Wonderful Peace", features The Isaacs. Jay DeMarcus of the Rascal Flatts produced the album. The first single off the album is "Back to God". In January 2018, McEntire won the Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album, her first nomination since 2007, and her first Grammy Award win in more than twenty years, since 1994. She also headlined the C2C: Country to Country festival in the UK alongside Brad Paisley and Zac Brown Band in March.  Because of its limited release in 2016, on October 13, 2017 My Kind of Christmas was re-released - this time including songs with Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Darius Rucker and Lauren Daigle - on her website and through iTunes. CANNOTANSWER
They formed Reba's Business Inc. (RBI). She moved out of the building she and Blackstock had worked in, and moved her company to Green Hills, Nashville.
Reba Nell McEntire, also known mononymously as Reba, (born March 28, 1955) is an American country music singer, actress and businesswoman. She is often referred to as "the Queen of Country," having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 25 of which reached the number one spot. She is also credited as an actress, having appeared in both films and television. She starred in the television series Reba, which aired for six seasons. She also owns several businesses, including a clothing line.

One of four children, McEntire was born and raised in the state of Oklahoma. In childhood and adolescence, her interests included barrel racing and sports. She also had a natural singing ability, which was encouraged by her mother. With her mother's help, she and her siblings formed the Singing McEntires, which played at local events and recorded for a small label. McEntire later enrolled at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and studied to become a public school teacher. She also continued to occasionally perform and was heard singing at a rodeo event by country performer Red Steagall. Drawn to her singing voice, Steagall helped McEntire secure a country music recording contract with PolyGram/Mercury Records in 1975.

Over the next several years, PolyGram/Mercury released a series of McEntire's albums and singles, which amounted to little success. In the early 1980s, McEntire's music gained more momentum through several top ten country songs, including "(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven", "I'm Not That Lonely Yet" and her first number one "Can't Even Get the Blues". Yet McEntire became increasingly unhappy with her career trajectory and signed with MCA Records in 1984. Her second MCA album titled My Kind of Country (1984) became her breakout release, spawning two number one Billboard country singles and pointed towards a more traditional musical style. Through the 1980s, McEntire released seven more studio albums and had ten more number one country hits. Her number one singles included "One Promise Too Late", "The Last One to Know" and the Grammy Award-winning "Whoever's in New England".

In 1991, McEntire lost eight of her band members in a plane crash in San Diego, California. The experience led to McEntire's critically acclaimed album For My Broken Heart, which is her highest-selling disc to date. She followed it with several commercially successful albums during the 1990s, including Read My Mind (1994), What If It's You (1996) and If You See Him (1998). These albums featured the number one country singles "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", "How Was I to Know" and a duet with Brooks and Dunn called "If You See Him/If You See Her". McEntire also began acting on film and television, beginning with 1990's Tremors. In 2001, she played the role of Annie Oakley in the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun. The same year, the WB channel launched the TV series Reba, which starred McEntire in the lead role. The show became successful and ran until 2007.

In 2004, McEntire returned to her country recording career with the top five Billboard album Room to Breathe. She followed the release with 2007's Reba: Duets, 2009's Keep On Loving You and 2011's All the Women I Am. Her 2000's albums spawned the number one singles "Somebody", "Consider Me Gone" and "Turn on the Radio". In 2012, McEntire briefly returned to television with the series Malibu Country and in 2018 portrayed the role of Colonel Sanders in television commercials for KFC. She has continued releasing new music, including Love Somebody (2015), Sing It Now (2017) and Revived Remixed Revisited (2021).

Early life
McEntire was born in McAlester, Oklahoma in 1955 but was raised on a ranch in Chockie, Oklahoma. She was the third of four children born to Clark and Jacqueline McEntire. Her grandfather, John Wesley McEntire, was a world-champion steer roper in 1934, while her father held the same title three times (1957, 1958 and 1961). Jacqueline McEntire had aspirations of becoming a country singer, but instead became a public school teacher, librarian and secretary While her mother was tender and loving, her father had trouble showing affection. "When we were growing up I used to regret that Daddy never told us that he loved us," she recalled in her autobiography. The McEntire family owned a cattle ranch in Chockie. Each family member contributed to running the cattle operation. The McEntire children helped with ranch chores before and after school. This included castrating bulls and giving them worm medicine.

The McEntire siblings also developed an interest in singing, which was encouraged by their mother. On car trips to their father's rodeo dates, Jacqueline McEntire taught her children to sing in harmony with one another. Young Reba then started performing school, beginning in first grade when she sang "Away in a Manger" at an elementary school Christmas pageant. In fifth grade, she joined the 4-H club and won first place in the Junior Act Division for singing "My Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown". She also played basketball and ran track. For several summers, she attended a basketball camp. She also learned piano and guitar. She also developed an interest in the rodeo and trained to become a barrel racer.

By high school the McEntire siblings had been frequently performing. Together, they formed a trio which they called The Singing McEntires. In 1971, the trio released a single about their famous grandfather called "The Ballad of John McEntire". It was pressed as a single by a local label and was issued in small numbers regionally. The trio eventually included a backing band which performed at local functions. The group was later named The Kiowa High School Cowboy Band. They also had paying gigs at bars at dance halls in nearby Oklahoma City. "We were a bunch of kids barely in puberty who didn't get to bed until almost daylight after some of our shows," McEntire remembered. The band parted ways once Reba's brother graduated high school. In 1973, McEntire graduated from Kiowa High School.

Once finishing high school, McEntire enrolled in college at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She majored in elementary education with a minor in music. She completed student teaching and later graduated with a Bachelor's degree. She also continued to help out on her family's ranch during her college years. In 1974, McEntire's father encouraged her to take a job opportunity singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. She contacted family friend and rodeo announcer Clem McSpadden, who helped her get hired for the gig. Following one of her performances, McEntire was heard by country artist Red Steagall who was impressed by her singing. Reba, her siblings and her mother later joined him at a hotel party the same week. At the hotel, Reba performed an a cappella version of Dolly Parton's "Joshua". Jacqueline McEntire asked Steagall if he was able to help get all her children a recording contract. After going back to Nashville, Steagall contacted her  in early 1975 and said, "I can't take all three. But I could take Reba. She's got something a little different."

In March 1975 and accompanied by her mother, McEntire embarked on a trip to Nashville, Tennessee to record a demonstration tape that Steagall hoped to pass along to record labels. At the start of the trip, she was unsure about pursuing a professional country music career. McEntire recalled in her autobiography continually making excuses for her mother to stop the car instead of traveling to Nashville. After noticing her daughter's fear, Jacqueline McEntire told her, "Now Reba, let me tell you something. If you don't want to go to Nashville, we don't have to do this. But I'm living all my dreams through you." The conversation changed her mind and they continued on to Nashville.

After recording a demo, McEntire's tape was heard by Glenn Keener of PolyGram/Mercury Records, who was interested in signing her to a Nashville contract. Keener brought McEntire's tape and another female's tape to PolyGram's Chicago headquarters. The label informed Kenner that he could only sign one female performer. "He looked at the two tapes in his hand and handed ’em mine," McEntire told Entertainment Weekly.

Music career

1976–1983: Career launch at Mercury

In November 1975, McEntire signed a country music recording contract with PolyGram/Mercury Records. She made her first recordings for the label in January 1976. She was produced by Glenn Keener and was backed by a Countrypolitan arrangement that included a string section. McEntire's debut single was released in 1976 titled "I Don't Want to Be a One Night Stand". The track failed to become a major hit, only peaking at number 88 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart that May. It was followed by the low-charting Billboard country singles "(There's Nothing Like the Love) Between a Woman and Man" and "Glad I Waited Just for You". Mercury issued her self-titled debut album in 1977. In his album review, Greg Adams of AllMusic compared it to the country crossover style of Barbara Mandrell and Tammy Wynette. McEntire also began touring and performing more frequently. Without a band of her own, she often relied on house bands to accompany her. In some instances, the backing bands did not know country music and McEntire would have to fill her time onstage with jokes.

McEntire's career gained more momentum by 1978. That year she collaborated on two singles with country artist Jacky Ward. The duo's double-sided release of "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight"/"Three Sheets in the Wind" became her first top 20 hit on the country chart. When Glenn Keener left the PolyGram/Mercury roster, McEntire inherited producer Jerry Kennedy. Kennedy produced her second studio album titled Out of a Dream (1979). The album's cover of Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams" became her first top 20 hit as a solo artist. Four additional top 40 country singles were spawned from the album as well. By 1980, McEntire had formed her own band which included sister Susie and brother Pake McEntire. She also hired a new manager. McEntire and her band toured to dates in a three-car caravan, which included a horse trailer for transporting instruments. She later upgraded to a bus nicknamed "Silver Eagle", which routinely broke down. Also in 1980, "(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven" became her first top ten hit on the country songs chart. It was included on her third studio album, Feel the Fire, which was released in October.

By this point, McEntire's label pushed her record music in a soft country pop style that she often disagreed with. Future material (which included her next album) was recorded in this format. Her fourth album, Heart to Heart was issued in 1981 and became her first disc to chart the Billboard Country Albums list. It received only a 2.5 star review from AllMusic's William Ruhlmann, who described McEntire as being "a promising, but not yet accomplished country artist." Yet its lead single, "Today All Over Again", became her highest charting country single yet, reaching number five. In 1983, McEntire's bus had broken down when she was informed that her latest single "Can't Even Get the Blues" reached the number one spot on the Billboard country chart. It was followed by her second number one song "You're the First Time I Thought About Leaving". The track also became her second to reach the top ten of Canada's RPM country songs chart. Both singles appeared on her 1983 album Unlimited. The following year, the single "Why Do We Want (What We Know We Can't Have)" reached the top ten. With increased success in the country music industry, she was able to arrange an early release from PolyGram/Mercury in 1983. "Let met put it this way, I've sorta taken my career into control myself," she explained of the decision.

1984–1990: Breakthrough
McEntire signed with MCA Records in 1984 and released her seventh studio album Just a Little Love. Harold Shedd was originally intended to produce the disc, however, McEntire rejected his desire for a country pop arrangement. Instead, Norro Wilson produced the project. Despite spawning a top ten hit, McEntire was still dissatisfied with the record's production and the lack of control over material. Instead, she turned to MCA president Jimmy Bowen who suggested that she find her own songs to record. Accompanied by Don "Dirt" Lanier, McEntire spent several days listening to various songs from publishing companies. Eventually she found a song written by Harlan Howard titled "Somebody Should Leave" and a song by Jon Moffat titled "How Blue". Released as singles, they reached the number one spot on the country songs chart and later appeared on 1984's My Kind of Country. The collection also included several covers of classic country songs by Ray Price, Charley Pride and Connie Smith. AllMusic's William Ruhlmann gave the disc 4.5 stars. Billboard magazine described McEntire on the album as being "the finest woman country singer since Kitty Wells." The album became her breakthrough recording, leading McEntire to winning 1984's Female Vocalist of the Year accolade from the Country Music Association. Along with music by George Strait and Randy Travis, the album also brought forth a stylistic change in country towards traditional arrangements and sounds.

Her next MCA album was 1985's Have I Got a Deal for You. The project followed the same traditional country format of its predecessor. It was produced by Jimmy Bowen, along with co-production credits from McEntire herself. The album 's title track reached the Billboard country top ten along with "Only in My Mind", a song composed by McEntire herself. In February 1986, her ninth studio album was released named Whoever's in New England. On the record, McEntire and co-producer Jimmy Bowen mixed a traditional country style with a modern, contemporary sound. Author Kurt Wolff described the title track's production, as being "bigger and sentimentalism more obvious, even manipulative". Issued as the lead single, the title track peaked at number one on the Bilboard country chart and won McEntire the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The album itself became her first to top the Billboard Country Albums survey. and later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of one million copies.

By this point McEntire had reached the height of her commercial stardom. Following this, McEntire made changes to her stage show. She began implementing choreography and experimented with stage lighting. Also in 1986, McEntire's twelfth studio album appeared titled What Am I Gonna Do About You. AllMusic found that it lacked the features that had made Whoever's in New England unique. The title track was the lead single from the release. It became her next number one song on the Billboard country chart and her first number one on the RPM Canadian country chart. Its second single "One Promise Too Late" also topped the country chart. Her thirteenth studio project, The Last One to Know, was released in 1987 and reached number three on the Billboard country albums chart. Reviewer Tom Roland noted that McEntire chose material that reflected her recent divorce from first husband Charlie Battles. Both the title track and "Love Will Find Its Way to You" topped the Billboard country songs chart. In late 1987, McEntire released her first Christmas collection called Merry Christmas to You. Also in 1987, she played Carnegie Hall in New York City for the first time.

In the late 1980s, McEntire took more control of her career. She fired her manager and formed her own entertainment company that helped further promote her material. Other new changes included her 1988 pop-inspired release Reba. Her fifteenth studio disc included covers of the former pop hits "Respect" and "A Sunday Kind of Love". It produced the number one Billboard country singles "New Fool at an Old Game" and "I Know How He Feels". It was followed by 1989's Sweet Sixteen, which was noted to be a more of a "return[s] to the neo-traditionalist fold", according to reviewer William Ruhlmann. The album featured the country hits "'Til Love Comes Again", "Little Girl", "Walk On" and a cover of "Cathy's Clown". Her first live project titled Reba Live was also released in 1989.

Rumor Has It (1990) was another pop-oriented album release featuring a mix of ballads and uptempo numbers. It was the first disc in McEntire's career to reach the top 40 of the Billboard 200 albums chart. The disc would became McEntire's highest-selling albums, certifying three-times platinum from the RIAA. Four hit country singles came from the release, including "You Lie" and her cover of "Fancy". The latter single eventually become one of McEntire's signature songs.

1991: Plane crash and For My Broken Heart

In the late 1980s, McEntire's touring schedule became increasingly busy. To avoid long bus trips, she and her band began traveling by private planes to concerts. McEntire and her touring band started the 1991 leg of their tour with dates in Alaska, Saginaw, Michigan, Fort Wayne, Indiana and a private gig for IBM in San Diego, California. Two planes were scheduled to leave San Diego which would carry McEntire's band. McEntire, her husband and her stylist would take a different aircraft the next day. In the middle of the night on March 16, 1991, McEntire was awoken to a phone call from Roger Woolsey, who flew the second plane. McEntire's husband took the call and discovered that one of the planes had crashed. Following the successful takeoff of both planes, one plane's wing hit the side of Otay Mountain in San Diego, killing everyone on board.

In total, eight members of her band were killed: Chris Austin, Kirk Cappello, Joey Cigainero, Paula Kaye Evans, Jim Hammon, Terry Jackson, Anthony Saputo, and Michael Thomas. In addition pilot Donald Holmes and co-pilot Chris Hollinger were also killed. The first plane was a Hawker Siddeley DH-125-1A/522 charter jet that took off at 1:40 AM from the Brown Field Municipal Airport, located near the border of Mexico. After reaching an altitude of  above sea level, the aircraft crashed on the side of Otay Mountain, located  east of the airport. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the probable cause of the accident was related to "improper pilot planning".

Meanwhile, the second plane carrying the rest of her band made it successfully to an airport in Nashville. McEntire, her husband and hair stylist returned on their own plane following the accident. "By the time that long, terrible weekend was over, we were emotionally and physically exhausted," McEntire stated in her autobiography. The news was reported nearly immediately to McEntire and her husband, who were sleeping at a nearby hotel. A spokeswoman for McEntire made a statement to The Los Angeles Times on behalf of her: "She was very close to all of them. Some of them had been with her for years. Reba is totally devastated by this. It's like losing part of your family. Right now she just wants to get back to Nashville." Two days after the crash, McEntire conducted an interview with People magazine and scheduled a memorial service for the families of the victims. Nine days following the accident, McEntire performed at the 63rd Academy Awards ceremony, singing the Best Original Song nominee "I'm Checkin' Out" from the film Postcards from the Edge. In addition, Vince Gill and Dolly Parton offered their help in reorganizing her touring band.

McEntire dedicated her sixteenth album, For My Broken Heart, to the deceased members of her road band. Released in October 1991, it contained songs of sorrow and lost love about "all measure of suffering", according to Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly. Nash reported that McEntire "still hits her stride with the more traditional songs of emotional turmoil, above all combining a spectacular vocal performance with a terrific song on 'Buying Her Roses', a wife's head-spinning discovery of her husband's other woman." The disc peaked at number three on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It also became her highest-charting release on the Billboard 200 yet, peaking at number 13. It later sold over four million copies in the United States, becoming her best-selling album to date. Its title track and "Is There Life Out There" both became number one Billboard country singles. In addition, "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" and McEntire's cover of "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" both became major country hits.

1992–2002: Continued country success
In December 1992, McEntire's seventeenth album It's Your Call was released. A sign of her increased mainstream success, the album was her first to reach the top ten of the Billboard 200. It spawned the country hits "Take It Back", the title track and a number one duet with Vince Gill called "The Heart Won't Lie". Critic Brian Mansfield compared the disc to For My Broken Heart, concluding that "only casual or partial listeners will be moved as much." Christopher John Farley of Time wrote that the album ranged from being "relaxing" to "cathartic", and "these vocals from one of the best country singers linger in the mind". For her next release, McEntire collaborated with up-and-coming artist Linda Davis on the single "Does He Love You". MCA Records encouraged McEntire to record the track with more established acts like Wynonna Judd or Trisha Yearwood, but ultimately finalized the track with Davis. It became her eighteenth number one hit on the Country Songs chart and her sixteenth number one hit on the Canadian country chart. It was later included on her 1993 compilation Greatest Hits Volume Two. Later that year, Davis and McEntire performed the duet at the CMA Awards. For her performance, McEntire wore a red dress with a plunging neckline that created controversy among the Nashville community.

Her eighteenth studio release was 1994's Read My Mind. The disc reached number two on both the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart. The disc later reached sales of three million copies in the United States and certified three times platinum from the RIAA. Five major hits came from the release, including "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", "Till You Love Me" and a song about a woman contracting AIDS called "She Thinks His Name Was John". The latter recording only reached a top 20 charting position due to its controversial lyrics. McEntire's nineteenth studio album, Starting Over (1995) was collection of her favorite songs originally recorded by others. The album was made to commemorate McEntire's twenty years in the music industry. The album received a less favorable response from critics than that of her previous releases. While project spawned three charting singles, only McEntire's cover of "Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands" became a top ten country song. Starting Over was certified platinum by the RIAA within the first two months of its release.

McEntire's next album release What If It's You was issued by MCA in November 1996. The record was a return to a contemporary country sound. It debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and eventually topped the Billboard country albums list. It received a more favorable response from radio programmers than that of her 1995 album and received greater promotion. Critic Thom Owens noted that the project "[didn't] offer any new tricks from Reba McEntire, but it is nevertheless an excellent reminder of her deep talents as a vocalist." Its first single, "The Fear of Being Alone" became a top five hit, while "How Was I to Know" reached the number one spot on the Billboard country songs survey.

McEntire began touring with country duo Brooks & Dunn during the mid 1990s. Their touring collaborating led to the recording of a duet titled "If You See Him/If You See Her" in 1998. The track topped both the Billboard country songs chart and the Canadian RPM country chart. Their initial collaborations would lead to several more professional endeavors over the years, including a joint Las Vegas residency. The duet was included on McEntire's If You See Him album and Brooks & Dunn's If You See Her album, both of which were released in June 1998. Thom Owens found that both album titles were named nearly the same as "a way to draw attention for both parties, since they were no longer new guns—they were veterans in danger of losing ground to younger musicians". If You See Him produced three more top ten country hits including "Forever Love" and "One Honest Heart".

In 1999, McEntire released two albums. In September she issued her second Christmas album, The Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection. In November, her twenty-second studio album, So Good Together was released. Entertainment Weekly commented that most of the album's material was "an odd set—mostly ballads, including an English/Portuguese duet with Jose e Durval on Boz Scaggs' 'We're All Alone'". It featured the top five country songs "What Do You Say" and "I'll Be". McEntire focused on an acting career in the early 2000s and took a temporary musical hiatus. One exception was 2001's "I'm a Survivor". The single became a top five country hit and the theme song to McEntire's 2001 television series.

2003–2015: Country music comeback, record label switch and continued music success 
McEntire returned to her recording career in August 2003 with the release of the MCA single "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain". The song was included on her first studio album in four years titled Room to Breathe (November 2003). "The reason I named the album Room to Breathe is because I needed a little room to breathe," McEntire told Billboard. The 12-track disc was produced by Buddy Cannon and Norro Wilson. It also featured a guest appearance from Vince Gill. Room to Breathe debuted at number four on the Billboard country chart and later certified platinum in the United States. It spawned McEntire's first number one song in six years titled "Somebody". Also featured was the top ten single "He Gets That from Me". In 2004, she embarked on her first tour in several years also titled "Room to Breathe", which included 36 cities in the United States. In 2005, MCA released the double-disc compilation titled Reba #1's while she was in between albums.

In September 2007, McEntire's next studio disc was releaded titled Reba: Duets. The album was a collection of duets with various music artists, including Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes, Trisha Yearwood, Carole King, and Justin Timberlake. Reba: Duets topped the Billboard country chart and theBillboard 200, becoming her first album in her career to top reach the top of both lists. Reba: Duets was later certified platinum by the RIAA. The album was given high critical praise from magazines such as PopMatters, which compared McEntire to artists like Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. AllMusic's Thom Jurek gave it 3.5 stars, commenting that "it's full of good to great songs delivered in mostly interesting ways." The first single was a duet version of Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You", which reached number two on the American country chart and topped the Canadian country songs chart.

In 2008, McEntire announced that she would be departing her label of 25 years and signing with the Valory Music Group, an imprint of Big Machine Records. The switch to Valory reunited McEntire with the label's president, Scott Borchetta, whom she had worked with previously. Her first Valory single was 2009's "Strange". The song debuted at number 39 Billboard country songs chart, giving McEntire the highest single debut of her career and peaked at number eleven. Her twenty-sixth studio album, Keep On Loving You was released in August 2009 and also topped both the Billboard Country and 200 charts. In 2009, "Consider Me Gone" (spawned as the record's second single) became her 24th number-one on the Billboard chart in December. At age 54, McEntire became one of the oldest women to have a number one single on the country songs chart.

McEntire's twenty-ninth studio album All the Women I Am was released in November 2010. Steve Morse of The Boston Globe called the project "one of her best efforts", while Thom Jurek at AllMusic only gave it a 2.5 star rating, calling it "awkward" and lacking a "center". "Turn On the Radio" was issued as the lead single prior to the album, eventually becoming her twenty firth number one on the Billboard country survey. Three additional charting singles were spawned from All the Women I Am that peaked outside the top 20. Her All the Women I Am Tour tour followed shortly after late featuring country acts the Band Perry, Steel Magnolia, and Edens Edge. In 2014, McEntire moved to Big Machine's new imprint for veteran artists titled Nash Icon Music. Her first Nash Icon single was 2015's "Going Out Like That", which reached the top 25 of the Billboard country songs chart. It was included on her 2015 Nash Icon album Love Somebody. The album topped the country albums chart and charted the top five of the Billboard 200. In 2016, McEntire released a third Christmas-themed studio album called My Kind of Christmas. The album was exclusively sold at Cracker Barrel and online. She also announced she would soon be selling her own line of clothing, home decor, jewelry and other things under the "Rockin' R by Reba" line also at Cracker Barrel.

2017–present: New beginnings in her 60s 
After her split from ex-husband Narvel Blackstock, McEntire took control of her career as her own manager. She recruited Justin McIntosh of Starstruck Entertainment, Leslie Matthews serving as Brand Manager, and Carolyn Snell who has been with McEntire for nine years. They formed Reba's Business Inc. (RBI). She moved out of the building she and Blackstock had worked in, and moved her company to Green Hills, Nashville.

On December 15, 2016, McEntire announced that she was releasing her first gospel album titled Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope. It was released by Nash Icon/Rockin' R Records on February 3, 2017, and consists of two discs. Disc one contains traditional hymns while disc two contains original tracks. "Softly and Tenderly", featuring Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood, was the first track off the album released. Another track on the album, "In the Garden/Wonderful Peace", features the Isaacs. Jay DeMarcus of the Rascal Flatts produced the album. The first single off the album is "Back to God". In January 2018, McEntire won the Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album, her first nomination since 2007, and her first Grammy Award win in more than twenty years, since 1994. She also headlined the C2C: Country to Country festival in the UK alongside Brad Paisley and Zac Brown Band in March. Because of its limited release in 2016, on October 13, 2017 My Kind of Christmas was re-released - this time including songs with Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Darius Rucker and Lauren Daigle - on her website and through iTunes. In July 2018, it was announced that McEntire would be one of four honorees for the 41st annual Kennedy Center Honors, along with Cher, Philip Glass, and Wayne Shorter. The ceremony was held December 2, 2018, and broadcast on CBS December 26, 2018.

McEntire released her twenty-ninth studio album Stronger Than the Truth on April 5, 2019. McEntire also returned to host the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards on April 8, 2019.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed McEntire among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

On February 20, 2020, during a surprise appearance at the Country Radio Seminar, McEntire announced she had signed a new record deal with MCA Nashville, returning to the label after leaving in November 2008. McEntire hosted the 54th Annual Country Music Association Awards alongside Darius Rucker in November 2020. McEntire previously hosted in 2019 with Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton, 1992 with Vince Gill, 1991 by herself (the second solo female host) and 1990 with Randy Travis.

Acting career

1989–99: Entry into film and television acting
In 1990, she obtained her first film role playing Heather Gummer in the horror comedy Tremors, along with Kevin Bacon. The film told the story of a small group of people living in Nevada who were fighting subterranean worm-like creatures. After the film's release, McEntire developed a strong interest in acting and made it her second career. The film earned McEntire a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 1991 Saturn Awards. The following year, she starred along with Kenny Rogers and Burt Reynolds in the made-for-television movies The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw and The Man From Left Field. In 1994, McEntire worked with director Rob Reiner in the film North, playing Ma Tex. The film obtained negative reviews, receiving only two and a half stars from Allmovie.

In 1994, McEntire starred in Is There Life Out There? a television movie based on her song of the same name. The following year, she appeared in Buffalo Girls, which was based upon the life of western cowgirl Calamity Jane (played by Anjelica Huston). Playing Jane's friend Annie Oakley, Buffalo Girls was nominated for an Emmy award. In 1996, McEntire was cast by director James Cameron as Molly Brown in his film Titanic. However, when it became apparent production for the film would extend well beyond its original length, McEntire had to turn down the part, as she had already scheduled prior concert engagements. The role was recast with Kathy Bates. In 1998, she starred as Lizzie Brooks in Forever Love, which was based upon McEntire's hit single of the same name.

2000–07: Broadway and television series
In early 2001, McEntire expanded into theater, starring in the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun. Playing Annie Oakley (whom she had previously portrayed in Buffalo Girls), her performance was critically acclaimed by several newspapers, including The New York Times, which commented, "Without qualification the best performance by an actress in a musical comedy this season." McEntire personally called the musical "some of the hardest work I've ever done in my life".

In 2005, McEntire starred as Nellie Forbush in the Carnegie Hall concert production of the Broadway musical South Pacific with Alec Baldwin as Luther Billis and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Emile de Becque, directed by Walter Bobbie and with an adapted script by David Ives. The concert was broadcast as part of the Great Performances series in 2006.

In October 2001, McEntire premiered her half-hour television sitcom Reba on the WB network. The show was based around divorced mother Reba Hart, who learns how to handle life situations after her husband divorces her in order to marry his dental hygienist––with whom he had been cheating and gotten pregnant––and then their teenage daughter becomes pregnant as well. Reba garnered critical acclaim and success, becoming the network's highest-rated television show for adults ranging from the ages of 18 to 49. The show ran for six seasons and earned McEntire a nomination for a Golden Globe award. It was canceled on February 18, 2007; the series finale had 8.7 million viewers.

2011–20: Brief television return and current projects
In September 2011, McEntire confirmed on her website that ABC had ordered a pilot for her second television series Malibu Country. McEntire played a divorced mother of two who moves to Malibu, California to restart her music career. The pilot was filmed in April 2012 and began production on its first season in August. It was announced that the pilot for Malibu Country would premiere November 2, 2012. The show was broadcast Friday nights at 8:30/7:30c on ABC. On May 11, 2012, McEntire tweeted that the show had been picked up. She also was the host in the 2011 NASCAR Award Show in Las Vegas.

Despite reports that Malibu Country was the most-watched freshman comedy in its debut season (8.7 million), the show was canceled on May 10, 2013, after eighteen episodes.

In January 2017, it was announced that McEntire would star and produce a Southern drama series for ABC titled Red Blooded. It was reported in May that ABC ultimately turned down the show, so it moved to being shopped around to other networks. In January 2018, Reba was chosen to portray KFC's first female Colonel Sanders. The commercials ran through the end of April 2018.

In 2020, McEntire launched a podcast titled Living & Learning hosted by herself and her former Reba co-star Melissa Peterman.

She made a cameo appearance in the 2021 comedy film Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar as a water spirit named Trish after Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, who wrote, produced, and starred in the film, wrote her an "impassioned letter" asking her to join the film. Director Josh Greenbaum said in an interview, "There's some casting that just clicks. Reba is not only 100% authentic, we knew she would be game."

Musical styles and legacy
McEntire's sound has been influenced by the country music of Bob Wills, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, and Patsy Cline. In college, McEntire attended local dances at the Oklahoma–Texas border so she could dance to Wills's music, commenting that, "it didn't get any better than dancing to Bob Wills music". She also explained Merle Haggard's influence on her career, stating "I had every album he ever put out", and would sing "every song he did", along with her brother, Pake and sister, Susie. In addition, her first major hit, "Sweet Dreams" was a remake of Patsy Cline's version of the song, according to McEntire herself.

McEntire's music has been described to not only be built upon traditional country music, but also expand into the genres of country pop, mainstream pop, soul, and R&B. At times, her music has been criticized for moving away from traditional country music. Many music critics have called her music to be "melodramatic", "formulaic", and "bombastic", particularly after her 1988 album Reba. Studio releases such as Sweet Sixteen, Rumor Has It, It's Your Call, and Starting Over have been described by these terms.

McEntire possesses a contralto vocal range and performs "vocal gymnastics" with her voice, a musical technique in which a singer twirls a note around, using their vibrato. McEntire has credited Dolly Parton for influencing this trait, stating that she always listened to Parton's records and find her style of vocal gymnastics "so pretty".

McEntire has often been regarded as one of country music's most influential female vocalists and most beloved entertainers. She is highly credited for remaining one of country's most popular female artists for nearly four decades, maintaining her success by continually incorporating contemporary musical sounds without changing her traditional vocal style. For numerous artists, she has been credited as an inspiration to their careers in music. The Net Music Countdown second-handedly reported, "That influence has manifested itself in many ways. As a role model, she's shown others how to handle fame with grace and good humor while never backing down from her values or goals. Just as importantly, she's shown others to refuse to accept limitations on what she can do or how much she can achieve." McEntire also explained to the online website, "Whatever I'm doing, I feel like I'm representing country music". "It's always been my main career, and it's where my loyalties lie. I feel like I'm waving the flag of country music wherever I go, and I couldn't be prouder to do it."

Personal life
McEntire is a Christian, and she has stated that her faith in God has helped her immensely throughout her life.

Two of her siblings have also had careers in the music industry. Her brother Pake dabbled in the country music industry in the late 1980s but returned to Oklahoma after a brief stint. He owns and operates a 1,000-acre ranch near Coalgate, Oklahoma, and continues to rodeo. Her sister Susie McEntire-Eaton (Martha Susan "Susie" McEntire-Eaton, formerly Luchsinger) is a successful Christian music singer who travels the country with her husband, speaking and performing. She also has an older sister, Alice Foran, a retired social worker who resides in Lane, Oklahoma. Her niece Calamity McEntire is an assistant basketball coach at the University of Dayton.

Relationships and children 

In 1976, McEntire married steer wrestling champion and rancher Charlie Battles who was 10 years her senior and had two sons from his previous marriage. The couple shared a ranch in Oklahoma. In 1987, McEntire divorced Battles and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to further pursue her career.

In 1989, McEntire married her manager and former steel guitar player Narvel Blackstock. The couple wed at Lake Tahoe on a boat in a private ceremony. Together, the pair took over all aspects of McEntire's career, forming Starstruck Entertainment, which was originally designed to help manage her career. From her marriage to Blackstock, McEntire gained three stepchildren, Chassidy, Shawna, and Brandon. She gave birth to a son, Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock, in February 1990. On August 3, 2015, it was announced in a joint statement on McEntire's website that she and Blackstock had been separated for a few months after twenty-six years of marriage. McEntire announced in December 2015 that their divorce had been finalized on October 28, 2015. Despite the divorce, McEntire remains very close to her three stepchildren and the Blackstock family; she considers her stepchildren's children to be her grandchildren. McEntire's stepson Brandon Blackstock married singer Kelly Clarkson, with whom he has a daughter and a son. Speaking about their impending marriage in 2013, McEntire stated she was "Thrilled to death, to have my buddy as my daughter-in-law. I mean, who could ask for more?"

In 2017, McEntire began a relationship with photographer Anthony "Skeeter" Lasuzzo. The couple met through McEntire's association with Kix Brooks. In describing her feelings about Lasuzzo, she stated, "We're totally in love — absolutely," she says. "I wouldn’t put up with somebody for two years if I wasn’t in love with 'em!" McEntire and Lasuzzo separated in the fall of 2019.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, McEntire began dating film and TV actor Rex Linn.

Philanthropy 
In 1992, she opened Reba's Ranch House in Denison, TX. Similar to a Ronald McDonald House, the house incorporates holistic care by providing a calm setting for rest, warm meals for nourishment and sensitive staff for spiritual connections to guests who have loved ones being treated at the nearby Texoma Medical Center.

Over the course of her career, she has been and continues to be an active supporter of various charitable organizations including Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, Feeding America and Celebrity Fight Night. She has been honored with the Minnie Pearl Award, the ACM Home Depot Humanitarian Award and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation Humanitarian Award for her efforts. In 2018, she was honored with the Horatio Alger Award for Education, Charity Work. Named after the "rags to riches" writer, the award recognizes perseverance and giving back.

Accolades

McEntire has the second-most wins for the Academy of Country Music's Top Female Vocalist Awards with seven. McEntire holds the record American Music Awards for Favorite Country Female Artist (twelve). She also holds the distinction of being the first to win the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year Award four times consecutively. Martina McBride won Female Vocalist four times, although not consecutively. In 2013, Miranda Lambert tied McEntire to win Female Vocalist four years in a row and in 2016 Carrie Underwood joined this elite club by winning her fourth Female Vocalist award. McEntire is also a rare musical artist to achieve solo number-ones across four decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s). She holds the record for most CMA Award nominations for a female artist, with 50. McEntire also holds the record with the most ACM Awards nominations for a female artist with 47, respectively. She is also the recipient of three Grammy Awards, winning in 1987, 1994 and 2018. In December 2018, McEntire received the Kennedy Center Honor. In December 2021 she was one of the five nominees for Person of the Year on Spotted Ratings, along with Mariska Hargitay, Olivia Rodrigo, Susan Lynn Rosner Rovner, and Rebecca Wisocky, but ultimately lost the award to Rovner due to the latter's extensive work restoring NBC to relevancy.

When Reba McEntire made her Grand Ole Opry debut on September 17, 1977, she almost did not make it in the door after a guard at the Opry gate missed her name on the night's list of performers. Her parents and older sister, Alice, drove 1,400 miles round trip from their Oklahoma home to see what turned out to be Reba's three-minute performance that night. Her act was cut from two songs to just one—"Invitation to the Blues"—because of a surprise appearance by Dolly Parton. McEntire was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on January 17, 1986. "The Grand Ole Opry is a home," she says. "It's a family. It's like a family reunion, when you come back and get to see everybody."

In 2011, the Country Music Association announced that McEntire would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. McEntire was unable to attend the announcement after her father had slipped into a coma following a stroke. McEntire attended the official induction ceremony alongside the other 2011 inductees Jean Shepard and Bobby Braddock. She was inducted by Dolly Parton.

Discography

Studio albums

Reba McEntire (1977)
Out of a Dream (1979)
Feel the Fire (1980)
Heart to Heart (1981)
Unlimited (1982)
Behind the Scene (1983)
Just a Little Love (1984)
My Kind of Country (1984)
Have I Got a Deal for You (1985)
Whoever's in New England (1986)
Reba Nell McEntire (1986)
What Am I Gonna Do About You (1986)
The Last One to Know (1987)
Merry Christmas to You (1987)
Reba (1988)
Sweet Sixteen (1989)
Rumor Has It (1990)
For My Broken Heart (1991)
It's Your Call (1992)
Read My Mind (1994)
Starting Over (1995)
What If It's You (1996)
If You See Him (1998)
So Good Together (1999)
The Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection (1999)
Room to Breathe (2003)
Reba: Duets (2007)
Keep On Loving You (2009)
All the Women I Am (2010)
Love Somebody (2015)
My Kind of Christmas (2016)
Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope (2017)
Stronger Than the Truth (2019)
Revived Remixed Revisited (2021)

Tours
Headlining tours

The Reba McEntire Show 
The Last One to Know Tour 
North American Tour '88 
World Tour '89 
'90 Tour 
Rumor Has It Tour 
Reba in Concert 
It's Your Call Tour 
Read My Mind Tour 
Starting Over Tour 
20th Anniversary Tour 
Singer's Diary 
Room to Breathe Tour 
All the Women I Am Tour 
Canadian Tour 
Reba: Live in Concert 

Co-headlining tours
Brooks & Dunn and Reba: The Tour 
Girls Night Out 
2 Hats and a Redhead 
2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour 
Reba and George Strait on Tour 

Residency shows
Key to the Heart 
Together in Vegas 

Opening act
Today Tour

Filmography

See also

 List of best-selling music artists in the United States

References

Footnotes

Books

Bibliography

External links

 
 
 Reba McEntire Profile on Country Music Television

1955 births
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
Actresses from Oklahoma
American contraltos
American country singer-songwriters
American women country singers
American film actresses
American television actresses
American voice actresses
American Christians
Big Machine Records artists
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Grammy Award winners
Grand Ole Opry members
Kennedy Center honorees
Living people
MCA Records artists
Mercury Records artists
Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma
People from McAlester, Oklahoma
People from Atoka County, Oklahoma
Southeastern Oklahoma State University alumni
Members of the Country Music Association
Country musicians from Oklahoma
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American women singers
Theatre World Award winners
"R" Is for Ricochet is the 18th novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California.

Kinsey Millhone agrees to bring the daughter of Nord Lafferty home from prison and get her started on life outside prison. Seems simple enough, but Reba Lafferty comes with many complications. Meanwhile, Kinsey's landlord Henry, unmarried for all his life,  is considering a female companion. Kinsey has a lover, too.

Plot summary
Kinsey Millhone agrees to escort Reba, the daughter of Nord Lafferty, out of prison to the Lafferty mansion and watch over Reba until she is settled into her life out of prison. Reba was serving a sentence for embezzlement, though she had not embezzled funds; her boss had spent the funds on bribing municipal officials for the construction of a shopping mall with office space in the center of Santa Teresa. Lieutenant Cheney Phillips encounters Kinsey at the office of the probation officer for Reba Lafferty, as he is the local investigator in a multi-agency operation to arrest Reba's boss, Alan Beckwith. Several federal agencies are pursuing him for laundering funds for a Colombian drug dealer.

Reba pled guilty because she was in love with Beckwith, a married man. While Reba was in prison, Beckwith slept with her replacement in the office. Kinsey has known Cheney for a couple of years; now, she is smitten with him. For this arrest, he and the whole team of investigators want Reba to provide evidence of the money laundering, an inside witness for their case. They decide that Kinsey, now building rapport with Reba, should ask her to take this on. Unwillingly, Kinsey does so.

Kinsey's landlord, Henry, meets with Mattie Halstead, a woman he met on a cruise ship trip taken with his older brothers. His brothers interfere with each visit between the two, which is upsetting the normally calm Henry and upsetting Kinsey, who thinks she might be good company for Henry.

Reba goes to a support group meeting for alcoholism but, within days, is drinking again. She had stopped smoking in prison and takes up smoking again. Even with Kinsey's company, Reba cannot handle freedom. As she realizes that Beckwith has no intention of keeping the promises he made to her, Reba makes plans to get back at him. First she tells her former colleague and comptroller for Beckwith's company, Marty, about the federal investigation, recommending he leave the country. He acts slowly, not sure whether to believe her.

Touring the new offices in the development completed while Reba was in prison, Reba and Kinsey find the room where Beckwith bundles cash in small bills to carry out to Panama, where he owns a bank. He either flies on his own jet or sails his own ship to carry the heavy bundles without close examination by customs. Reba at first thinks the cash belongs to Beckwith and steals a packet worth $25,000. Beckwith learns of the theft when his Colombian dealer tells him the cash is short. Reba then understands from Kinsey that the cash was being laundered for the Colombian.  Reba goes to Reno to meet her friend from prison, Misty Raine. Besides her profession as a stripper, Misty makes false passports and driver licenses; she makes a set for Marty. Reba has already seen that Beckwith had a set of false papers for his trip to leave the country, as he is aware of the pressure building from the federal investigation.

Kinsey has some pleasant evenings with Cheney. She buys more flattering clothes with Reba to look nicer for Cheney; and Cheney cuts her hair to be more stylish, a talent of his.

Kinsey pursues Misty in Reno when Reba disappears from her family home. Her hunch is good, and she finds Reba with Misty. Reba agrees to drive back to California with Kinsey, aware that she has broken the terms of her parole by leaving the state. The two meet Marty in a hotel in Beverly Hills. Abruptly, a couple of goons grab Marty in the hotel lobby where they talk and beat him up. Reba tells the hotel they need help and she flees, while Kinsey pursues Marty in hopes of helping him. Kinsey hits one goon hard with a chair, but she is then knocked unconscious. She revives in the presence of Beckwith and his goons, solving the question of who sent those men to beat up the comptroller. Reba lets Beckwith know that she has the computer and the data discs that he uses to back up his business affairs, including the money laundering. Beckwith threatens Kinsey so that Reba will bring the computer and the discs to him. She does so. In the office, Marty lies dead. Beckwith claims the man had a heart attack; the beating did not kill him. Presented with the computer and the discs, Beckwith carefully pours a strong acid over them so they cannot be read. Reba reveals that she switched the computers with Marty's aid. Behind Beckwith, the team of police, led by Cheney Phillips, arrives with guns out.

Reba feels she does better in prison, where she cannot do wrong, which is where her theft of the cash lands her. The federal case against Beckwith is strong, and he is convicted. Kinsey is optimistic about her and Cheney and remarks how sometimes, she feels she is an actor in someone else's story.

Characters
Kinsey Millhone: Private detective hired by Nord Lafferty to bring his daughter home from prison.
Nord Lafferty: Wealthy widower in his 80s whose much loved daughter has not settled down in her adult life.
Reba Lafferty: 32-year-old daughter of Nord, who is released from her prison term as the story opens. She was in prison for embezzling from her employer, though she had not done that; her employer committed financial crimes. She had been in love with her boss. She becomes friends with Kinsey.
Lucinda: Friend of Nord Lafferty, who does not get along with Reba. She is rather forceful, and listens in on Nord's phone calls.
Cheney Phillips: Santa Teresa police investigator who is also interested in Reba Lafferty, in the case to arrest her boss. He becomes Kinsey's lover.
Misty Raine: Prisoner with Reba who becomes Reba's friend; she is a stripper who relocates to Reno when her parole in California is ended.
Henry Pitt: Landlord of Kinsey Millhone. He returned from a cruise ship trip with his brothers and sister; he is the youngest of them. He considers having a woman in his life, at age 87.
William Pitt: One brother of Henry, who is married to Rosa. William calls their brother Lewis to come to Santa Teresa from his home in Michigan, in hopes that competition will provoke Henry to pursue a woman from San Francisco, met on the cruise.
Lewis Pitt: Brother of Henry and William, who lives in Michigan and comes to Santa Teresa.
Mattie Halstead: Widowed painter from San Francisco who was on the cruise with the Pitt brothers.
Marty Blumworth: Comptroller at Beckwith's company, former colleague of Reba.
Oni: Colleague of Reba when she worked; Oni took Reba's job, and her position as lover to the boss.
Alan Beckwith: Former boss and lover of Reba Lafferty. He is a real estate developer who became a money launderer for a drug dealer south of the border. He set Reba up to do the time for his crime. He is a married man, nicknamed Beck.
Rosa: Owner and cook for the restaurant closest to Kinsey's apartment. She is married to William, and watches over Kinsey, giving her Hungarian meals.
Ms. Priscilla Holloway: Parole officer for Reba Lafferty.
Vince Turner: Investigator with FBI for financial crimes. who has been watching Beckwith for a while .

Reviews

Kirkus Reviews considers the title for this novel might have been R is for Romance, as Kinsey finds romance, her landlord considers a woman he met on a cruise ship, and Kinsey's client was in prison for her boss, with whom she had been in love. The criminal plot arises from the boss of Kinsey's client. In summary, "Kinsey’s frantic attempts to keep her balance on the tightrope between a pair of lovers scheming against each other, and her own latest stab at romance, will have fans purring contentedly."

References

External links
Sue Grafton Alphabet Series official site

Novels by Sue Grafton
Kinsey Millhone novels
2004 American novels
Novels set in California
G. P. Putnam's Sons books This is a list of characters from the TV series Reba, which ran from 2001 to 2007. The main character is Reba Hart, played by Reba McEntire.

Reba Nell Hart

Reba is the main protagonist of the series. She is played by Reba McEntire and appears in every episode. A fiery redhead who has a bullying, confrontational, sarcastic personality, Reba tries to take control of every situation, which more often than not makes problems worse before they get better. Nevertheless, she is very warm and loving towards her three children and while initially hostile to Brock and Barbra Jean, she grows to forgive them throughout the series.

It is mentioned that she developed a problem with authority during her childhood when she speaks to Brock's therapist, but had a very loving family growing up. In the first season, she is struggling to save her twenty-year marriage to Brock before she learns in a therapy session he is divorcing her to marry his pregnant girlfriend, Barbra Jean. In the same session, she also learns that her oldest child, 17-year-old Cheyenne, is also pregnant by her boyfriend, Van. She allows Van and Cheyenne to get married and move in with her, while her other children, Kyra and Jake, also stay with her. She initially refuses to be around Barbra Jean unless absolutely necessary and is equally hostile to Brock, though this begins to change after their divorce is finalized, Brock and Barbra Jean marry, and have their son, Henry. A short time later at high school graduation, Cheyenne goes into labor and gives birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, in the hospital.

In the second season, Reba continues to move on from her divorce, even getting a boyfriend for a brief period, selling off her engagement ring, and accepting a job from Brock in his dental office. She later quits this job to work for Brock's arch-rival, Eugene, and helps Van and Cheyenne with parenthood and college plans. Reba also becomes more reflective, after attending an old boyfriend's funeral with Brock, she debates whether or not she made the right choice by marrying him at all. She also drew up a will after a near-death experience. A bombshell is dropped when Kyra, who had become increasingly distant when she spent more time with Brock and Barbra Jean due to all the attention Cheyenne and Van were drawing from Reba, plans to move in with them into their new house just four doors down from Reba's.

In the third season, Reba struggles to move on after Kyra's departure, even trying to permanently avoid Brock and Barbra Jean, before she reconciles with Kyra. However, Kyra's move strained their relationship and is at the forefront of several episodes; Reba even agreed to spy on Kyra at Barbra Jean's assistance. Things move from Kyra to Brock when he tells Reba he intends to sell his dental practice to play pro-golf, a decision that enrages both Reba and Barbra Jean, but one that Brock insists is because he is not happy with his life. Fearing he will have another mid-life crisis, Reba develops empathy for Barbra Jean and opens up to Brock about her feelings after the divorce. Meanwhile, Reba tries to help Cheyenne pick a major, and when she picks dentistry, Reba is initially unsupportive, but agrees to support Cheyenne after she insists she can do it.

In the fourth season, Reba mediates between Brock and Barbra Jean, and while tensions are running high, Barbra Jean kicks Brock out of the house. This allows Reba to develop more empathy for Brock, and in several episodes, she relates how he is going through the same pain she did during their separation. Brock uses this to suggest that she still has romantic feelings for him, which is supported by his therapist. To make things easier for Barbra Jean, Reba finally urges Brock to make a decision between playing pro golf and his dental practice-he chooses the latter to spend more time with Barbra Jean and Henry. Reba, convinced that Brock is finally changing for the better, begins to become more cordial to him. After Van suffers an injury that ends his career as a professional football player, Reba encourages him to find another exciting job. After losing her own job in the dental office for calling her boss "a monkey's butt," she pursues a career in real estate and hires Van as her assistant. Jealous that he is a natural in the business, she insists he do boring work until he is better suited for the more important jobs. When she is inspecting Van's wardrobe, she discovers a bottle of alcohol in the closet-subsequently learning that Cheyenne had become an alcoholic.

In the fifth season, Reba and the rest of the family try to help Cheyenne overcome her addiction and also work out her new partnership with Van. She is shocked to learn that Van no longer believed in God following his injury and demonstrates her more caring side when she asks their church's minister to help Van work out his problems, as well as when she allows a family devastated by Hurricane Katrina to stay with them. When Brock drops a bombshell on Reba that they owed the IRS $75,000 in back taxes, it rekindles her fury at Brock for being irresponsible. Because of the situation, Brock and Barbra Jean are prepared to lose their home, so Reba and Van decide to buy it and rent it out to them. Meanwhile, Reba also suffers health problems, in one episode she gets laser eye surgery because of her poor vision, and she collapses at Van and Cheyenne's second wedding because of high blood pressure.

In the sixth season, it is revealed that Reba is still jealous of Barbra Jean, especially after Barbra Jean successfully lost weight. Reba starts to eat healthier so she will not become "the chubby friend."  When Brock suspects Barbra Jean is having an affair with her personal trainer, Reba goes to the gym to spy on her-only to find out that the trainer is homosexual. She also encourages Van to accept a job offer from a more prominent real estate agent, which he reluctantly accepts. She is overjoyed to learn from Van that Cheyenne is pregnant again and helps her with family planning-which unfortunately for Reba includes Van, Cheyenne, and Elizabeth moving into another house. When Reba covers for Brock (who had lied to Barbra Jean when he said he would be out of town), Brock and Barbra Jean decide to file for divorce. Kyra decides to move back in because she wants to spend her last year before college with Reba, but she and Kyra have trouble re-adjusting to each other due to Reba's stricter house rules.  After Kyra considers several colleges, she decides to put her education on hold to go on tour with her band, a decision that enrages Reba initially but she later supports. In the series finale, Van and Cheyenne move back into Reba's house after a small fire at their own. Reba helps Brock and Barbra Jean work out their problems and they decide to stay married, Van and Cheyenne move back into their new home, and Reba says she has finally forgiven Barbra Jean for being the other woman in her marriage to Brock. She notes that she is happy being single before the theme song plays at the end of the episode.

Brock Enroll Hart

Brock is Barbra Jean's husband, Reba's ex-husband, and the father of Cheyenne, Kyra, Jake, and Henry. He is played by Christopher Rich. Brock is a dedicated father but is occasionally self-absorbed and tries to believe he is still a younger man.

At the beginning of the series Brock is separated from Reba because of his affair with Barbra Jean, who was at the time a dental hygienist in his office. In the opening scene of the series, during a therapy session, he announces to Reba that he intends to marry a pregnant Barbra Jean, while he also learns that his eldest child Cheyenne is also pregnant by her boyfriend Van. Brock lived in a condo during his separation but often comes over to Reba's house to talk. In the seventh episode of the first season, Brock learned that his father, who he had never been very close to, had died. Brock and Reba bury his ashes on a golf course. Brock and Barbra Jean marry and while he is camping she goes into labor-Reba goes after him after she realizes she convinced him to go camping as a USC recruiter was coming to meet with Van and she wanted the family to stay in Texas, and Barbra Jean was not supposed to have the baby just yet.  While he isn't able to be present for it, Barbra Jean gives birth to their son Henry while they are on the phone together. In the season finale Cheyenne gives birth to Brock's first grandchild, Elizabeth.

In the second season Brock is living a quiet family life with Barbra Jean and Henry and gives Reba a job at his dental office. However, it is revealed he is having a hard time in his relationship with Barbra Jean when she confides in Reba that he is neglecting her. Brock also had a hard time with Reba's moving on since their marriage when she sells her engagement ring and the two attend a funeral for one of Reba's former boyfriends. They begin arguing over domestic issues, such as who will be the one to give their third child Jake his first bike. Brock also gets a vasectomy to prevent another unexpected pregnancy with Barbra Jean, which further strains their relationship. It is revealed that Brock is super competitive when he has a feud with fellow dentist Eugene (who is Reba's employer since she quit her earlier job at Brock's office) and tries to outdo Van on a double date with Cheyenne and Barbra Jean. Brock's mother Liz also appears, where she tells Reba she believes Brock made a mistake in his affair and shows obvious disapproval at Barbra Jean. Brock further infuriates Reba when he supports their second child Kyra's desire to move into Brock and Barbra Jean's new house-which is only four houses down from Reba's.

In the third season Brock shows disapproval at Barbra Jean's mother hen nature over Kyra, but drops a bombshell when he reveals that he intends to sell his dental practice to become a professional golfer. Barbra Jean and Reba are both outraged, but while Barbra Jean is content to let Brock pursue his career, Reba urges him to return to his practice and family. Brock then admits to Reba that he is unhappy with his life and has been taking medication for anti-depressence. Barbra Jean is even more upset at his using "happy pills," but Brock decides to continue on with his medication and pro golf dreams. In the dramatic season finale, Brock tells Reba he believes he made a mistake by marrying Barbra Jean.

In the fourth season tensions between Brock and Barbra Jean are at an all-time high, and Barbra Jean kicks Brock out of the house. Brock moves back into the condo, the same condo he lived in during his separation from Reba. After Kyra encourages him and Barbra Jean to work out their problems, they begin to reconcile. Brock moves back into the house and allows Reba to sell his condo, and Barbra Jean buys a dog she names Broque. Brock believes that Reba still has feelings for him and remarks that his therapist "will have a field day with this!" When his therapist confronts Brock and Reba and asks if they still love each other, neither answers.

In the fifth season, while Cheyenne is battling problems with an alcohol addiction, Brock secretly begins smoking again after he lectures Kyra and Jake not to do it. Brock becomes jealous of Reba's online boyfriend and reveals he still has some feelings for Reba. His problems with Barbra Jean are continued when his brother-in-law Buzzard shows up and calls Brock a "dirtbag." Brock also has more than personal problems-Brock reveals to Reba that they owe the IRS $75,000 in back taxes and could lose his house over it. Reba is initially infuriated, but for Barbra Jean and Henry's sake she and Van agree to buy their home and rent it out to them.

In the sixth season, Brock and Barbra Jean continue to have problems-especially after Barbra Jean loses a great deal of weight and becomes a successful weather reporter for the local news. The two decide to file for divorce after Brock continues to lie and deceive her-in one instance getting his vasectomy reversed so he can get Barbra Jean pregnant again. Brock suffers through the proceedings before in the series finale, Reba helps the two work out their problems, and Brock and Barbra Jean decide to stay married.

Cheyenne Hart-Montgomery

Cheyenne is Brock and Reba's eldest child, Van's wife, and the mother of Elizabeth and an unborn son. She is played by actress JoAnna Garcia. She is blonde and while intelligent, is often ditzy and silly, especially in earlier seasons. She is also kind and sensitive, and eager to help others.

Through flashbacks in the third season, it was revealed that Cheyenne had encouraged her estranged parents to work things out, but to no avail. She also got pregnant by her boyfriend Van, the football star on the school team, and the two agreed they would raise the baby together. Her pregnancy was revealed during a therapy session her parents were required to attend by Jake. When her parents confront them, they both state it was their first time and they had been virgins prior, so they weren't worried about STDs. They only thought you could get pregnant one day a month. Van proposes after he gets kicked out of his house and Cheyenne happily accepts.. The two married at the end of the series pilot. After a brief honeymoon the two moved into Reba's house and continued high school, though the school principal did not want Cheyenne to continue attending and briefly suspended her because of her pregnancy (though she allowed Van to stay because of his position on the football team). Cheyenne, who had been co-captain of the high school drill team and shallow prior to her pregnancy, began to become more sensitive and humble, though she still was upset that Van was the favorite for the Prom King title and she was not for the Queen. Cheyenne went into labor just before graduation but did not tell anyone until she received her diploma. She gave birth to her daughter Elizabeth later that night in the hospital.

In the second season, she and Van are struggling to raise Elizabeth and continue thinking about college. The baby also takes a toll on their finances, and they briefly apply for food stamps before Reba takes a job at Brock's dental office to cover the expenses. Throughout her own issues, Cheyenne encourages Reba to try speed-dating to find someone special, and encourages Van to reconcile with his parents (who had never supported his marriage and had kicked him out of the house after he told them about his intentions to marry Cheyenne). After a pregnancy scare, Van and Cheyenne move out for a time after Reba accidentally referred to Elizabeth as "a mistake." The two reconcile with Reba and move back in.

In the third season, Kyra, Cheyenne's younger sister who continually makes fun of her, moves out, taking an emotional toll on Reba. In an effort to convince her to move back in, Van and Cheyenne go to Brock and Barbra Jean's new house, where Kyra confronts them about how they had replaced her and Jake as the family in the house, then the two reconcile after both are in tears. Van and Cheyenne also prepare to pick college majors, and while Van is undecided, Cheyenne decides she wants to be a dentist like Brock. Reba does not support her choice because of her inability to commit to activities in the past, but Cheyenne insists she will be able to stick to her decision and pursues the career. She demonstrates her new adult perspective when she is upset that Van bought a car, a 1960s Mustang, without consulting her first. She celebrates her 21st birthday in the midst of a fight between Reba and Barbra Jean.

In the fourth season, Van is traded to Denver, which takes an emotional toll on Cheyenne when she worries that he is enjoying being there without her. She and Elizabeth visit Denver several times until Van suffers a career-ending injury and the two are left with few financial options. Cheyenne is shown to be getting increasingly stressed throughout the season, having a difficult time when Van moves to Denver part time for his career, often out of the house for college, and lying about having a "biology lab" which is really an excuse for her to go sing at a karaoke bar. Van is eventually hired to be Reba's new assistant in the real estate business and things begin to look up. In the season finale Reba discovers a bottle of alcohol in Van and Cheyenne's closet and initially thinks it's Van's, getting him to promise to attend Alcoholics Anonymous. He then confronts Cheyenne and she downplays it, saying she would occasionally drink while studying. When she agrees to go to the AA meeting, she comes home announcing she realizes she is an alcoholic herself. Initially the family thinks she may just be jumping on the bandwagon and exaggerating it, but when Reba catches her pouring a glass of wine because she's having a "bad day," the truth really comes out: She goes to the meetings in the morning but drinks later in the day, has been extremely stressed and afraid for her family's future, and started drinking because it made her feel better at first. It became difficult for her to stop and she would promise herself she would, until the thought she would feel better popped back in her head. Reba is able to get her to put down the glass despite her initially refusing and being reluctant to. The season ends with Reba embracing her, to which Cheyenne responds by crying and saying she's really scared.

In the fifth season, Cheyenne becomes determined to beat her addiction, even trying smoking and Booze-Away pills before she attends a rehab center. Finally sober, she goes on a diet with Reba and Barbra Jean to help the latter overcome her food addiction. She volunteers at a homeless shelter and realizes that she wants to help people and changes her career choice to being a drug and alcohol counselor. In a unique anniversary gift, Van and Cheyenne decide to renew their wedding vows, but due to Cheyenne and Van getting into a fight over Van not inviting her friends from her addiction support group, Reba, stressed and already dealing with high blood pressure, collapses and they have to go to the hospital. While there they have to take a hard look at their relationship, making them realize that while they have had many ups and downs they love each other and end up renewing their vows privately in front of Reba, Brock and Barbra Jean.

In the sixth season, Cheyenne becomes pregnant again. Reba is overjoyed and begins helping her with family planning, but Cheyenne's hormones become insane for a brief period of time. After she is fine again she tells Reba that she, Van, and Elizabeth will need to buy a house to support their growing family, which Reba reluctantly agrees to. The two find out they are having a son, and Cheyenne dodges a promise she made to her father that she would name her son after him. The two buy an English-style house and after a small fire in the home the two move back in with Reba until the series finale, when the two move back into their new home.

Van Montgomery

Van is Cheyenne's husband and the son-in-law of Brock and Reba. He is played by actor 
Steve Howey.  He is funny and a bit of a goofball, but he's also a loving and devoted husband and father. He is an only child

In the first season it is revealed that he impregnated Cheyenne, and when her parents are worried about any possible STDs they both admit they were virgins prior and this was both of their first time. They thought you could only get pregnant one day a month. Van gets kicked out of his house by his parents because of this, and He proposes to Cheyenne. His parents don't approve of Cheyenne and blame her for getting pregnant, and although he attempts to make up with his parents a few times, often at the urge of Reba or Cheyenne, it never works out.  Van is the star football player at the high school, and he uses this leverage by refusing to play when the principal tries to expel Cheyenne due to her pregnancy, forcing her to change her mind under pressure from the school.  Van gets offered a scholarship to play football at USC, and they are excited about the idea of moving to California, but when Cheyenne experiences labor pains Reba successfully convinces them to go to the University of Houston where they will be close to family.  Their daughter Elizabeth is born right after they graduated from high school.

In the second season, Van and Cheyenne start college. He injures his knee soon after they move into on-campus housing and when Cheyenne,  Reba and Brock go back to their apartment another couple is living there.  They find out that Van suspended his football scholarship because he was nervous and scared to fail, but Cheyenne and Reba are both angry that he made that decision without consulting his wife first.  Van takes the semester off and becomes a house dad while Cheyenne continues school.  They struggle financially and even apply for food stamps at one point, forcing Reba to take a job at Brock's office to help.  Cheyenne again tries to get Van to reconcile with his wealthy parents so they can help with finances, but they shower Elizabeth with extravagant gifts, and it becomes a battle of who can be the better grandparents between them and Reba.  Van eventually returns to playing football, making Cheyenne feel lonely as he has less time to spend with her.

In the third season, Van quits college football and joins the Arena League so he can focus more on getting into the NFL.  Reba initially disapproves and wants him to finish school, but she eventually accepts his decision.  At times Van becomes a little too power happy with his new income, even going as far as buying a sports car without including Cheyenne in the decision.  When they decide it's time to get their own apartment, they choose one that's too expensive and try to get Reba to co-sign the lease.  When she refuses they forge her signature, but the deal falls through due to her poor credit rating.

In the fourth season, Van hires a sports agent to help negotiate his contract.  He gets traded to Denver, infuriating everyone, especially Cheyenne.  Cheyenne becomes lonely with Van gone most of the time and is upset to learn he enjoys his time there even without her, especially since it means getting away from her family events when they are together. Van comes home with a broken tailbone, but the X-rays also reveal that he has spinal stenosis, which ends his football career.  He receives a $100,000 buyout check from his team and spends it recklessly on gifts.  Bored and not knowing what to do with himself, he finds other stuff to do like managing Kyra's band, playing online poker and attempting to train Jake in football. Reba eventually hires him to be her real estate assistant, and he turns out to be a natural.  While inspecting his wardrobe, Reba discovers an empty bottle in the closet and suspects Van has become a drinker.  She encourages him to go to Alcoholics Anonymous, but he forces Cheyenne to tell the truth that the bottle was actually hers.

In the fifth season, Van admits he lost his faith in God when his football career ended.  Reba tries to take him to see the Reverend, but he says Van can only be helped when he wants it.  Reba and Van also spat at work a lot and are forced to see an occupational therapist.  When it is revealed that Brock owes $75,000 in back taxes, Van and Reba agree to buy his house and rent it out to him and Barbra Jean.  With their 5th anniversary coming up, Van and Cheyenne decide to renew their vows but get into an argument at the ceremony.  It is cut short when Reba collapses due to high blood pressure and is rushed to the hospital.

In the sixth season, a big real estate company offers Van a prominent position but leaves out Reba.  He declines the position out of loyalty to her, but she eventually encourages him to take the job for his family's sake.  Cheyenne becomes pregnant with a son, so they decide it's time to buy their first house together.  They have several disagreements on how to decorate the house and whether or not Van should be trying to fix things.  They are forced to temporarily move back in with Reba when a small fire is caused by Van's failed attempt to fix the heater.

Kyra Eleanore Hart

The middle child, Kyra has the fewest emotional issues of the family, but everyone admits that she has a dark and morbid side. Many of her traits and looks come from Reba, most notably her strong use of sarcasm, although she's known to be more manipulative and difficult.  She and Cheyenne have a many up and downs in their relationship at the start of the show but they end up patching things up in the last season when Cheyenne realizes she was mean and selfish toward Kyra for much of their lives. She initially picks on Jake a lot but their relationship also matures by the end, especially when he asks Kyra to be his soccer team coach when everyone realizes Van is too obnoxious as a coach and takes the game too seriously.

In the first season she doesn't have many storylines, but it's made clear she is a straight-A student who plays in the school band. She is angry at her dad Brock for leaving her mom and initially doesn't like Barbra Jean, making the same sarcastic remarks toward her that Reba does which gets her in trouble. She is the first person to realize that Cheyenne is in labor before her graduation but covers for her since she's determined to walk for it.

In season 2 her more devious side comes out: She lies to Reba about Barbra Jean giving Jake fast food (which turns out to be the truth even though she didn't realize it). She gets her first boyfriend, but lies that he broke up with her because he didn't like that Reba and his dad had romantic feelings for each other, when in reality she broke up with him because he was a crybaby. It becomes more and more obvious during the season that Kyra feels like Reba is more concerned about everyone else in her life and that Cheyenne and her problems always come first. This culminates in Kyra moving in with Brock and Barbra Jean when she has to give up a summer study program in England because Reba has to  spend the money that would have gone towards her trip on Cheyenne, who must take summer school in order to remain a full-time student.

In the third season, when Kyra starts cancelling her mother-daughter dates with Reba, Reba suspects that Kyra is taking advantage of Barbra Jean and Brock's separation and having her run of the house with no rules, so she asks Kyra to move back home.  However, it is revealed that Barbra Jean is just acting and is actually very lonely, and Kyra has actually been helping her cope with the separation and get out of the house to do things with her and Henry, even though it does bother her that Barbra Jean has started dressing like her. Shetells Reba she wants to stay there because Barbra Jean needs her.  Reba is proud of Kyra and her caring nature and agrees she should stay there, but she needs to keep her updated on what's going on and let her know if she needs help.

In the fourth season Kyra continues to grow up, seemingly too fast.  Barbra Jean and Reba often have disagreements over how to handle her relationships, especially when she dates an older boy. He later breaks up with her when she refuses to sleep with him, breaking her heart. She gets her driver's license and  starts a band, which is managed by Van.

For the first four seasons of the show, a recurring theme of Kyra's storylines was her social life being unreasonably micromanage (and sometimes blatantly sabotaged) because her parents, including Barbra Jean, live in mortal fear that she will meet a boy and suffer the same fate as Cheyenne, despite her being the most intelligent of the children (probably even smarter than Brock). With Kyra, this quickly becomes a source of anger if not outright hatred for Reba, Brock and B.J., because in her eyes, Cheyenne has been rewarded with a husband and child for her irresponsibility, while Kyra is being punished for it.

Kyra is absent for most of the fifth season due to Scarlett Pomers' real-life battle with anorexia nervosa.  When she returns for the sixth season, Reba simply asks, "Where have you been?," to which she replies, "I was getting something to eat."

In the sixth season, she decides to move back in with Reba so she can spend her final year before college with her mother.  Kyra becomes upset when Reba puts her foot down and sets stricter rules than Brock and Barbra Jean had (i.e. not being allowed to drink alcohol at the house, not allowing a male member of her band to come over late at night to work on songs), but she ends up respecting her mother for them and their relationship continues to improve.  Cheyenne also discovers that their strained relationship was started when she ruined Kyra's fifth birthday party by slamming one of her gifts into her cake out of jealousy.  She apologizes to Kyra, and they attempt to improve their relationship.  Kyra decides not to go to college and focus on her music, which initially threatens her relationship with the rest of the family, but Reba ends up understanding and they make up.

Jake Mitchell Hart

The youngest of the Hart children, Jake is often teased by his sister Kyra. Jake is pretty oblivious of what goes around behind him. He acts like a normal boy for his age. Brock and Van try to teach him sports, but he is not very good, much to their chagrin.

Despite living with the main family, he doesn't have many of his own storylines throughout the show, though he occasionally plays large roles in episodes. In the first season he has a best friend that has a mother who is uncomfortable with everything going on at his house and prefers him to play with her son at her house. Later, he's shown to have a devious side as well when he plays an elaborate Halloween joke on Reba, who greatly appreciates and applauds it, passing on the torch to him. He also has an episode arc where he makes the basketball team, but Van stalks him and finds out he's on a wheelchair basketball team and is, for some reason, much better at sports in a wheelchair; he proceeds to be found out by everyone, including his coach, despite Van trying to cover for him. He ends the series as a young teenager who has done a lot of growing up.

Barbra Jean Booker-Hart

Barbra Jean, nicknamed "BJ", was Brock's dental hygienist and had an affair with him as his marriage to Reba was deteriorating. The result was her getting pregnant, and marrying him after he divorced Reba. Barbra Jean is even more of a goofball than Van, and is often an easy target for Reba's sarcasm. While noisy and annoying, Barbra Jean is a kind-hearted person with good intentions.

Her tendency to tell "over-the-top" stories results in her sharing many random and often bizarre facts about her childhood and past. The most that can be understood is that she was born in Friendly, Texas, and at one point during her infancy was "the biggest baby in Juno County." She has an older sister, currently married, a brother named "Buzzard", and a father ("Big Daddy") who enjoys drinking and hunting. Brock is afraid of both "Buzzard" and "Big Daddy" because he knows they don't like him. She also claims to have an Aunt "Saliva" who spits professionally. She loves bedazzling her clothing (often noticeable), and claims that due to her wearing a bedazzled pair of pants in a lightning storm and getting hit, she now has a "butt-rometer" that tells the weather. She also has a large collection of Beanie Babies, is in charge of a Beanie Baby club, and has back stories on their relationships to each other, which Brock is embarrassed to admit he really wants to know about (and when he finds out one he says "It's so sad!" through tears).

In the last season, she loses a large amount of weight and becomes a weather girl for a local station (she told people she was Stormy Clearweather). In the last episode, she gets a job at the TV station as a news girl (she called her segment "Babs Janson: Street Walker.")

Throughout the series, she and Brock have many ups and downs in their relationship, separating twice and almost divorcing in the last season before reconciling and deciding to remain married. They are known to keep secrets from each other and Barbra Jean is often worried he will have another affair and leave her. In a funny nod to the fact that her son Henry is rarely seen, she gets asked often, "Where's Henry?" To which she responds, "Crap!" and runs out of the house.

In a few episodes in season 4 she has a Yorkie named "Broque." Following an episode where she goes "missing" and is later found to have killed and eaten a hawk, she disappears.

Barbra Jean is convinced throughout the series that she and Reba are best friends, despite Reba early on clearly feeling angry and bitter towards her for being "the other woman." However, throughout the series, Reba becomes more sympathetic toward her and starts to be shown to truly care for her and her feelings. In the last episode, Reba admits that Barbra Jean is her best friend, making her absolutely elated.

Lori Ann Garner

Reba's best friend. Introduced in season one in the episode "Every Picture Tells A Story." Lori Ann was married and divorced three times, presumably because all three husbands cheated on her. Lori Ann was Reba's confidant on her problems with Brock and Barbra Jean and even Cheyenne. During Lori Ann's guest appearances on the series, she is always cruel and evil to Brock, (who is just as cruel and evil back to her), as well as Barbra Jean (who seems to like Lori Ann). One can assume this is because of what Brock and Barbra Jean did to Reba, along with her own personal feelings for Brock, as it's revealed that Lori Ann and Brock once dated before his marriage to Reba. A big part of Lori Ann's character is that she is always looking for a man. In the episode "Every Picture Tells A Story," when Lori Ann says "men are pigs," Brock retorts with: "Well you must love bacon cause you keep marrying us." Even Reba herself describes Lori Ann as "a desperate, desperate woman" upon hearing that Lori Ann told a priest during confession that "he had nice eyes." In total, Lori Ann only made six appearances in the first season, and one in the second season. Her last episode was "Switch," after that she was never seen again, but was referred to in the fourth-season episode "Van's Agent," where it was mentioned Lori Ann was going to Jamaica with a man who left the priesthood for her. She was never seen or mentioned again after that episode, or in any of the final two seasons of the show.

See also
Reba (TV series)

Reba