Do we like Reba McEntire?
Our score: 8 out of 10. Her public record is warm and clean, but she steers clear of politics and the sourcing on how she treats people is thin.
The latest news is a nice one. At the Emmys in September she sang Dolly Parton's Appalachian Memories as an orchestral number, after a clip of Parton performing it in 1983. Variety reported Sally Field introduced the tribute, and the tone was a send-off, not a stunt.
Earlier in the year she took the Grammys stage for the first time, performing a stripped-back version of her song Trailblazer with Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson. The track earned her an 18th Grammy nomination, in the country duo and group category. Not bad for someone still picking up firsts this deep into a career.
On the harm check, she comes out well. In 2023 she told the Los Angeles Times she was disappointed Tennessee had passed its anti-drag law, and said of men who perform in drag, “God bless 'em to wear those high heels.” She also said she doesn't do politics, so this is a decent bloke-next-door take, not a campaign.
Back in 2015 she told PrideSource she had gone to a gay wedding for two close friends and didn't understand why they couldn't marry. She also said people should be loved for who they are. No source turned up showing her pushing anti-vax, climate-denial or anti-trans material, and no source turned up showing her backing anyone who does.
She keeps well out of party politics. In 2021 her name appeared on an invitation to a fundraiser for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and she said it went out without her knowledge or permission. She said she had told organisers she wouldn't attend, and that she does not get involved in politics. Whether you read that as sensible or as sitting on the fence is up to you.
On the good stuff, in 2011 she and Blake Shelton headlined two sold-out tornado relief concerts in Durant, Oklahoma. They raised $500,000 for Atoka County relief efforts. Plenty of the viral gossip about her, like feud stories and lawsuit claims, came from dodgy or unsourced sites, and we left it out.