McEntire said she’s not happy about Kelce and Swift dating, as she’s had a longstanding crush on the tight end

McEntire said she’s not happy about Kelce and Swift dating, as she’s had a longstanding crush on the tight end. “Oh, my gosh, I am so mad at her because I had a crush on him!” McEntire told Today. She then jokingly referred to Kelce as a boyfriend who “cheated” on her.

“Now I can’t have a crush anymore because he’s dating her,” she continued. “I think she is a great role model, I think she’s smart as a tack, and I think she is absolutely beautiful,” McEntire told Entertainment Tonight. “She carries herself so well, says the right things at the right time. She’s just amazing, and I think it’s wonderful. Why should country music just keep her to ourselves? She does need to be on all genres of music.”

While The Voice Season 24 star might not-so-secretly wish that she could date tight end Travis Kelce, she’s happily dating her boyfriend, Rex Linn. Linn and McEntire met in 1991 while working on the film The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. “She was co-starring with Kenny Rogers, and I had two lines and one day of work,” Linn explained to Southern Living. “On a horse that I rode into a saloon and go, ‘Yee Haw!’ I love how she tells everybody, though, we were working on a movie together.”

McEntire and Linn stayed in contact and developed a romantic connection in 2020. Linn discovered McEntire would be in Los Angeles, so he asked her to dinner. “First of all, the last time I had seen Reba, the year before, she was dating someone,” Linn continued. “So, I actually thought her then-boyfriend was going to be with her. I had no idea … I didn’t know it was a date at the time, like everybody else did, but I sure had a good time and I sure am glad I went to dinner.”

Then, when coronavirus (COVID-19) shut the world down, McEntire and Linn stayed in contact. McEntire went back to Oklahoma while Linn remained in LA. The two talked constantly on the phone, and Linn sent McEntire treats of his own. “I just decided that the best way I could flirt with Reba would be to send her good food,” he added.

Ultimately, their similar upbringing and close connection make them the perfect match. “It was really sweet of God to put Rex into my life in this time in my life,” McEntire added. “It took me 63 years to find it, but it’s worth the wait.”