Reba McEntire And Boyfriend Rex Linn Have Cheesy Nicknames For Each Other
Reba McEntire proved she hasn't given up on love after two divorces. The country singer married her first husband, Charlie Battles, in 1976 and the two split after 11 years. McEntire wed her second husband, Narvel Backstock, in 1989 and they were married for 26 years until they divorced in 2015 — which she was against. "Well, the divorce was not my idea. I didn't want it in any shape, form or fashion. So it was really hard to make the adjustment when someone's not happy. I just want everyone to be happy in their lives because our lives are too short to be miserable," she told CMT in 2016.
Despite her unhappiness over the divorce, she did her best to move on. "It's taken me this time to pull through why and how. And there's been a lot between us and I believe that to forgive is easier than forget. I can never forget some of what he did. But going on with life is what's really important," McEntire shared with Parade.
The "Fancy" singer has since moved on with Rex Linn, whom she met in 1991 while filming "The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw." However, it wasn't until they reconnected in 2020 that they became romantically involved. And, coincidentally, their first outing was what led to their sweet nicknames for each other.
Rex Linn's nickname for Reba McEntire was inspired by this popular potato snack
On the night of their first date, Rex Linn must have known Reba McEntire was a keeper. He inadvertently made them Instagram official by posting a pic of the two of them with the caption, "Had a fantastic dinner with this Oklahoma girl. Tater Tots and Ketchup included." McEntire later revealed that it was then when Linn gave her the nickname "Tater Tot." During a visit to the "Jennifer Hudson Show," the actor-singer shared that she and Linn had gone to a wine bar after dinner and the woman working there told them, "Well, I understand you've already had dinner, but we do have some good appetizers." She suggested tater tots and McEntire enthusiastically raised her hand, to which Linn declared, "That's your nickname from here on out — Tater Tot." She then revealed that her nickname for her boyfriend is "Sugar Tot."
McEntire opened up about her new relationship in an October 2020 episode of her podcast, "Living & Learning with Reba McEntire." She shared how dating for her was "fun and exciting" and added, "It's good to have a person to talk to, laugh with, get into subjects about what's going on. Discussions about our past, our family, funny stories, him being an actor, me being an actress. And he's very into my music. I'm very into his career." The two have made no secret of their love for each other and "The Tots" continue to support each other with their respective careers.
Reba McEntire and Rex Linn have fun working together
Reba McEntire and Rex Linn are total couple goals. Not only are they mad about each other, but they also publicly lift each other up. In April 2021, Linn shared McEntire's new music video on Instagram for her song "Somehow You Do" from the movie "Four Good Days," and wrote, "Tater Tot's new video. Already climbing the charts!" On March 24, McEntire shared a video of Linn playing the drums while she sang "Consider Me Gone" during a soundcheck. "Garth better watch out, we've got a handsome new drummer on deck," she joked.
While McEntire and Linn worked together sporadically on the set of "Young Sheldon," their next big acting project was playing husband and wife in Lifetime's "Big Sky: Deadly Trails" as well as "The Hammer." On working with his girlfriend, Linn shared with TV Guide, "Every scene was fun for me because I was working with her, and I mean that. We'll wink at each other in the middle of a scene" (via TV Insider). Linn enjoys working with McEntire so much that his plan is to have her in a permanent role in "Young Sheldon." Here's to many more years of The Tots together.