Rex Linn and Reba McEntire’s attempt to spend time together outside of work was not unlike a sitcom plot. McEntire admitted to Yahoo! Entertainment that she turned Linn’s first dinner invite down, explaining, “I’d had a long day, and I was exhausted.” When they later arranged to meet up in January 2020, it wasn’t for a one-on-one outing — they were joined by their “Young Sheldon” co-star Melissa Peterman and McEntire’s tour manager, Marne McLyman. According to Linn, he also expected another party to join them. “The last time I had seen Reba, the year before, she was dating someone. So I actually thought her then-boyfriend was going to be with her,” he told Southern Living.
While McEntire was single at the time, she revealed that she didn’t consider the outing a date, either — until her friends played their roles of rom-com besties perfectly by breaking down the situation for her. “Melissa and Marne said it was a date!” the “Does He Love You” singer recalled to Yahoo! Entertainment. “We just had a really nice evening.” Before they parted ways, McEntire let Linn know that she wanted to see him again. Unfortunately, they didn’t get to plan their first proper date until June 2020 due to the pandemic. While they waited for another opportunity to dine together in person again, Linn sent McEntire food in the mail. She told Southern Living that his gifts included steak and ice cream.
