Reba Is ‘Disappointed’ With Tennessee’s Anti-Drag Bill

Reba McEntire is a lot like Dolly Parton when it comes to discussing politics. As a rule, she doesn't do it. So what she said to the L.A. Times recently about the anti-drag bill in Tennessee was a rare moment for her.

That bill passed, restricting "adult cabaret performances" in public or in the presence of children and banning them from occurring within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, or places of worship.

The Times reporter asked her, "What do you think about the bill that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee recently signed into law restricting drag performances in certain parts of the state?" Reba replied, "I wish they would spend that much time and energy and money on feeding the homeless children in those two counties." The reporter then asked if she was surprised, and she said, "Disappointed."

Reba then noted, "I don't do politics. Never have. My job is to entertain. I'm not there to influence people one way or another on how to vote."

When asked if she felt she might alienate some of her audience with her take on the drag bill, she said, "Boy, why? I mean, we've got a real problem in this country, and to be worrying about men wanting to dress up as women? God bless 'em to wear those high heels — I feel for 'em. But let's center our attention on something that really needs attention."

Even though she expressed her thoughts on the matter, she did stay out of the Maren Morris comments on country music being split into two halves. She said, "That does not apply to me. I try to stay away from disagreements and confrontations."

In the same interview, Reba talked about the pain from her divorce back in 2015 after 26 years of marriage to her manager Narvel Blackstock. She said of getting a divorce after years of singing about it in her songs, "It's like the knife's in, and somebody twists it a little bit. There's a segment in my show that's all the heartbreak songs: 'You Lie,' 'The Last One to Know,' 'Somebody Should Leave,' 'What Am I Gonna Do About You.' I'll remember where I was when I recorded the song, what stage of my life I was in."

She added, "I'll get choked up. I never have broken down to cry, but a part of that scar tissue breaks loose. It hurts." She has never broke down in tears during a show. She said, "I wouldn't go that far. I can look at an exit sign and think about how you spell that backwards and get out of it." It's a trick she got from her mother, "Mama told me one time — she said, 'Are you nervous?' I said, 'A little bit nervous.' She said, 'Look at the exit signs.' Takes you out of it for a little bit, where you can take a breath and go right back into it.

Reba McEntire's songs have been the backbone of country music since the early 1980s. Reba has scored more than 20 number-one hits in her storied career and is considered one of the Queens of Country Music, alongside other Queens like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.

In 2024, Reba has outdone herself and now appears on national TV weekly as a coach for NBC's The Voice. In early February of this year (2024), she sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl flawlessly and gracefully. She showed everyone in the world that she still has it as she approaches her 70s, celebrating her 69th birthday today (3/28).

She recently chatted with CMT and shared one of her most embarrassing moments on stage with them. CMT posted the fun interview clip on their Instagram.

In the clip, Reba is asked what her most embarrassing moment was. She quipped, "Oh gosh, how much time do you have?" The country icon recalled, "It was the early '80s, and I was headlining. I was going to make my way to stage right, and blue lights were gonna come on."

She continued, "I was gonna walk back on stage and sing 'Sweet Dreams' acapella. I did not remember this monitor being there on the floor, so when I was shuffling my way off stage right, I shuffled my toes right underneath that monitor and fell over on top of it."

She continued, "I crawled off stage and ripped my britches, but the show must go on so I dusted myself off and put my hand over where I ripped my britches. I came back out and did the song, and nobody knew the difference."

I have interviewed and spent a lot of time with Reba during my career as a country music journalist. Since the 1990s, I have discovered that Reba is a positive and very nice person. When you are around her, you forget she is a music icon because of how genuine and really down-to-earth she is.

In one of my most recent interviews with Reba, I told her about this list and asked what her top five Reba songs were; her response as she used her fingers to count, "' Fancy,' 'Is There Life Out There,' 'I'm A Survivor,' 'Can't Even Get The Blues,' 'Take It Back,' and 'Why Haven't I Heard From You,' that's six and 'Georgia,' ('The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia') 'Georgia' has to be in there too, that's seven."

And yes, "Fancy" would be her number-one song. She offered, "I just love story songs."

To celebrate her 69th birthday today (3/28), we dove deep into Reba's catalog to rate what we think are her 40 best songs.