The year 2005 included a very cool milestone in Reba McEntire‘s career: when Dolly Parton guest-starred on a memorable episode of her sitcom Reba. And a behind-the-scenes photo shows just how much fun these two country legends had together on set.
In between takes while filming, McEntire and Parton were photographed kick line-dancing together like the Rockettes. Singing, dancing, acting — McEntire and Parton are truly triple threats. The Rockettes would be proud of their kicks.
McEntire and Parton have weaved in and out of each other’s careers through the years. From their hair-tastic photo-op at the Grand Ole Opry in 1985 to joining forces for a duet in 2006, the bond that exists between McEntire and Parton is beautiful.
Parton’s official Reba debut took place in the Season 4 episode “Reba’s Rules of Real Estate,” in which Parton played the owner of a real estate company where McEntire’s character took a job.
Season 2 of Happy’s Place, McEntire’s new sitcom on NBC, is just around the corner. Fans of the original Reba won’t want to miss it.
Reba McEntire reflects on Dolly Parton’s 2005 guest role on Reba
Over the years, McEntire has talked effusively about her love for Parton. In a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Voice Season 28 Coach said about the “Jolene” singer, “She’s special because she came from a bare-bones, hard life. She survived. She improvised. She persevered. She followed her dreams … and she’s still doing it. I love how she treats everyone as equals. When she did the Reba show, everybody was already in love with her, but the way she treated everyone from the actors to the crew behind the scenes, she had them as fans for the rest of their lives.”
McEntire shared similar sentiments in a 2018 interview with E! News, saying, “I love Dolly Parton. When I was doing the Reba TV show, Dolly spent the whole week with us on set. She was one of the guest stars and that’s the last time we really got to sit down and visit.”
If McEntire wants to call Parton for a catch-up, she’ll have to reach her by fax. That’s Parton’s preferred method of communication. “I don’t have her telephone number. And I asked Kenny Rogers one time, I said, ‘Do you have Dolly’s number?’ he said, ‘No,” McEntire revealed on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
