Country music singer and HAPPY’S PLACE star Reba McEntire has plenty to celebrate, but watching her son become a father may be the sweetest part of her busy fall.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been happier, McEntire told Woman’s World in a recent interview.
The 71-year-old entertainer said her son, Shelby Blackstock, and daughter-in-law, Marissa Blackstock, are expecting their first child, a boy, this month. Her excitement centers on something more personal than adding another milestone to an already crowded calendar: seeing the two of them become parents.
“They always say, you are only as happy as your children are. Well, my children are happy,” she said.
McEntire explained that she already considers herself a grandmother seven times over. What makes this arrival different is the chance to watch Shelby take on fatherhood and Marissa become a mom, not a first-ever introduction to being Grandma.
She also looked back on her own experience of motherhood, recalling that she had not always planned to have children. When that desire changed, she credited God with giving her Shelby and described the daily joy he brought into her life.
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That gratitude carries into her work, too. McEntire shares the HAPPY’S PLACE set with her fiancé, actor Rex Linn, and her longtime friend and former REBA co-star, actress Melissa Peterman, alongside the rest of the ensemble.
According to NBC’s Season 3 guide, HAPPY’S PLACE returns Friday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. ET, with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock. McEntire plays Bobbie, who inherits her late father’s Knoxville, Tennessee, bar and discovers a half-sister she never knew she had.
The setup gives Bobbie a new family relationship to navigate while she helps run the tavern. Offscreen, McEntire told Woman’s World that the cast, crew and producers share a desire to make the show its best,and that she learns from her fellow performers.
She sees the appeal in familiar problems rather than outlandish situations. In her telling, the sitcom works a little like a country song: people recognize something of their own lives in it.
“It’s everyday situations that people have to deal with,” McEntire said of the sitcom’s appeal.
Bobbie does not always supply the sensible answer, either. McEntire said the character gets into predicaments that require help from the people around her, unlike the steadier Reba Hart she played on REBA.
Music remains another part of that full life, with McEntire revisiting her catalog while making room for new recordings. Her album Ring Ring dropped July 24, 2026, pairing its title track with earlier songs including “It’s Your Call” and “Why Haven’t I Heard From You.”
Her fifth music capsule, Tourist, followed Aug. 21 with five songs that all credit Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Brandy Clark. For an artist reflecting on 50 years of music, the collection keeps the focus on the writing rather than simply looking back.
McEntire’s conversation with Woman’s World keeps returning to that same appreciation: good songs, enjoyable work, people she loves and children who are happy. With a new season approaching and a grandson expected, she sounds less interested in chasing the next big thing than in enjoying what is right in front of her.
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