Reba McEntire Gets Candid About Retirement — and Shares the Wise Words Dolly Parton Gave Her About Quitting. ML
Reba McEntire has been doing this long enough to know that when you find something that still sets your soul on fire, you do not walk away from it.
The Oklahoma-born country firecracker is proving once again that age is just a number and passion does not fade when she opened up about retirement rumors and what her longtime friend Dolly Parton once told her about quitting the spotlight. The truth is that neither of these legends is hanging up their hats any time soon.
In a recent cover story with People, Reba, now 70, talked about the conversation she had with Dolly back in the early 2000s when the “9 to 5” icon made a guest appearance on Reba’s beloved sitcom. Reba recalled asking Dolly if she was ever going to retire, and Dolly’s response was classic. She said, “Why would I? What in the world could I do and have as much fun as what I’m doing in this job right now?”
Reba could not agree more. She said, “We have got the greatest job. To entertain people, to lift them up, to make them smile.” She added that if she could find a better job than what she has, she would go do it. But retiring is not in the cards. Slowing down, maybe, but no chance or plan of retiring.
It is a sentiment that hits especially hard in an industry where legends often quietly bow out or fade into the background. Not Reba. She is front and center and showing no signs of easing off the gas. Between coaching on The Voice, prepping the second season of her sitcom Happy’s Place, and delivering knockout performances that bring the house down, Reba has more irons in the fire than ever.
Happy’s Place, set to return on November 7, is a show with heart, humor, and a touch of that McEntire magic. She plays Bobbie, a tough but lovable woman who inherits her late father’s bar in Tennessee, only to discover her new business partner is the half-sister she never knew she had. The show co-stars her real-life fiancé, Rex Linn, and even brings in familiar faces from her old sitcom, including Melissa Peterman, making it feel like a cozy country reunion.
As for slowing down, that is more of a theoretical idea than a real plan. Reba joked that she might be ready to retire in 20 years, which would make her 90. And honestly, no one doubts she could still be rocking arenas and cracking jokes in front of a live audience by then. She said she thinks she will know when it is time, but she loves this chapter in her life and is very grateful.
She is not just performing because she can. Reba makes it clear this is about joy, purpose, and connecting with people who have ridden with her for decades. She shared that continuing to have fun at what she is doing is her goal. Whether it is making people laugh on a sitcom, coaching rising stars, or singing songs she has held close for 50 years, Reba said seeing fans sing along is still what makes her happiest.
That is the magic of Reba McEntire. She is not chasing trends, and she is not playing by anyone else’s rules. She is simply living her truth, staying humble, staying hungry, and proving that when you love what you do, you do not need a final bow.
So no, Reba McEntire is not retiring anytime soon. And just like Dolly, she is holding the line for country music with grit, grace, and a whole lot of heart.
