John Legend Says Blake Shelton Is the ‘Heart and Soul’ of ‘The Voice’ : ‘We’re All Going to Miss Him’
Blake Shelton announced that season 23 of The Voice be his last.
John Legend and Blake Shelton.Photo: Trae Patton/NBC
John Legend will miss Blake Shelton on The Voice.
While speaking with Entertainment Tonight for a recent interview, the R&B singer, 43, said he is going to miss working with Shelton, 46, as a friend and fellow coach on the singing competition series.
“He’s been doing the show for 22 seasons, it’ll be 23 when he’s done, and you can’t do something forever,” Legend said.
“We’re going to miss him though, he has been the heart and the anchor and the soul of the show for a long time, and he’s a friend of mine and I really enjoy working with him,” he added. “We’re all going to miss him.”
John Legend/Instagram
According to Legend, he and Shelton will not spend the country crooner’s final season together, as he explained to ET that he plans on taking season 23 off next year.
“My family’s growing, I have a new album out, I’m going to do a little bit of touring, so it’s probably better that I take a break,” he said of his upcoming schedule.
“I’ll be back on The Voice, just not this coming season,” Legend added.
Shelton announced his departure from The Voice on Instagram Tuesday, sharing a personal message about his decision.
“I’ve been wrestling with this for a while and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from The Voice after season 23,” Shelton wrote. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me.”
He then shouted out the producers, writers, musicians, crew and catering staff who contribute to making The Voice, joking “It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”
Carson Daly, Camila Cabello, John Legend, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton.Tyler Golden/NBC/Getty
Shelton also said he has made “lifelong bonds” with “every single one” of his fellow coaches — including the one he married, Gwen Stefani.es.
The “God’s Country” singer began coaching season one alongside Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green. Various stars have filled the coach’s red chairs since, including Miley Cyrus, Shakira, Usher, Nick Jonas, Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams and Jennifer Hudson.
Shelton has won the show eight times, and is the only original coach still on the series, appearing in every single season.
Aside from Shelton’s exit, The Voice also announced who would be coaching beside him for season 23. Kelly Clarkson will mark her return after leaving season 21, while Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan will make their debut as coaches on the series.
A premiere date for season 23 is yet to be announced, but viewers can tune into season 22 of The Voice on NBC Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. with Legend, Shelton, Stefani and first-time coach Camila Cabello.
Why Kelly Clarkson Isn’t a Coach on ‘The Voice’ Season 22
For the first time since season 14, the singer isn’t returning as a coach on The Voice
Kelly Clarkson.Photo: Trae Patton/NBC/Getty
The Voice has some new faces for season 22.
While Blake Shelton and John Legend are set to return to their red chairs this season, Kelly Clarkson will not be back, marking the first time she hasn’t appeared as a coach since season 14.
In her place, Gwen Stefani is set to make her return as a coach alongside Grammy-nominated singer Camila Cabello, who joins the cast as a first-time coach.
While there are sure to be many sweet moments between married couple Stefani and Shelton, fans are certainly going to miss Clarkson’s fun rapport with Shelton and Legend.
So why exactly did Clarkson decide to leave the show? The answer is pretty simple: she wanted to spend more time with her family.
As The Voice filmed its upcoming season over the summer, Clarkson told Hoda Kobt and Carson Daly on the Today show in August that she thought it was necessary to take a break as The Kelly Clarkson Show was also on a short hiatus.
“It’s maybe common for a lot of working people. You don’t get summers off, generally, unless you’re in high school. But I hadn’t had a minute, and it’s obviously been a rough couple of years,” she said, appearing to referenc her recent divorce from Brandon Blackstock. “So, it was really important to me to shut down for a minute.”
“The kids were with me and with their dad, and it was nice because they usually have to travel a lot because of our separation,” Clarkson added about spending quality time with her children over the summer. “We were both in Montana, so it felt like kind of the first time my kids felt more centered. It was nice.”
Voice coaches Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend.Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Clarkson also told Entertainment Tonight that her costars were super supportive of her decision to take a step back from the show: “I texted the other coaches and the executive producer and everyone and I was like, ‘I’m really sorry, you know, I gotta take a minute.’ And everybody understood it. They’ve been on this ride with me behind the scenes and they get it. Some have gone through similar situations.”
“It was really important, I think, to show my kids that, yes, Mommy loves work and I love to do what I do, but family is first,” she added. “So, when we need a moment to step back and we need to be together, that’s when you take the time when it is necessary. We need to take those moments. And that’s what it was for me. But it’s bittersweet for me, because I love doing it. It’s so fun.”
While Clarkson hasn’t revealed whether or not she’ll return for another season, she certainly isn’t the first longtime coach to exit the series.
Adam Levine was one of the original coaches until his exit in season 16. Since then, Shelton, who has won the show eight times, has remained the only original coach on the series, appearing in every single season.
Many other A-list names have taken a seat in the coaching chair, including Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams, Nick Jonas and Jennifer Hudson.
Gwen Stefani details ‘insecurities’ in her marriage to Blake Shelton as she squashes divorce rumors
The No Doubt singer and her husband met while filming The Voice in 2014
Gwen Stefani may sometimes let insecurities and “overthinking” get the best of her, but she knows she’s exactly where she’s meant to be, and that includes her marriage to Blake Shelton.
The “I’m Just a Girl” singer and her husband met on the set of The Voice ten years ago now, when she joined the singing competition as a judge in 2014.
They started dating in November of following year after they finalized their divorces from Gavin Rossdale and Miranda Lambert, respectively, got married in their Oklahoma ranch in July of 2021, and today, they’re stronger than ever.
Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: Blake Shelton’s tear-jerking Walk of Fame speech for Gwen Stefani
Speaking with Nylon for a new cover story ahead of No Doubt’s highly-anticipated reunion at Coachella, Gwen opened up about the reminders that keep her marriage strong even during times of anxiety and doubt.
Recalling the day she wrote her new duet with Blake, “Purple Irises,” she admitted: “I had been going through those times where you’re questioning: ‘Oh my gosh, am I just getting older? Am I cute?’”
She explained: “In my own relationship, even though I know the truth of what’s happening today, you still create drama in your own mind about your insecurities and what might happen. I was in that phase of the relationship with Blake and getting paranoid.”
“It’s an insecurity we both have,” Blake himself added, and further shared: “These are conversations that she and I have with each other: ‘Are you still going to love me when I’m old or if I forget who I am?’”
Still, Gwen declared that at the end of the day, “the truth is I am in love with my best friend,” and maintained: “All this [expletive] I’m thinking of in my brain, that’s all it is – I’m overthinking.”
She went on: “When you’re in love and have truly aligned values, nobody can get to us,” adding: “You can say whatever you want to say about our relationship – I mean, a week ago we were getting divorced again or something,” referring to false speculation of tough times in their marriage.
“It’s just lies. The truth is the truth, and we know what that is,” Gwen emphasized. “So that [negativity] would never penetrate just by me being vulnerable and sharing a song that I didn’t write for anybody else but myself and Blake.”
Gwen and Blake are largely based in Oklahoma, where she has fully embraced the ranch lifestyle, and her husband even revealed: “Gwen has her own tractor now,” adding: “And we’re working toward her one day soon being able to fire it up and go out to do her own thing on it.”
She’s a doting mom to sons Kingston, 17, Zuma, 15, and Apollo, who just turned ten.
Inside John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s new property: Couple buy $5.1million four-bedroom ‘organic modern’ WeHo mansion near to their current home
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have splashed out over $5million on a new house.
The couple – who have children Luna, four, and Miles, 23 months, together – splurged $5.1 million on a 3,440 sq. ft abode which is situated very close to their current home in Beverly Hills.
Work on the ‘organic modern’ property has just been completed and the wood and glass building features a Smart Home system to control the home’s lights, audio and cameras from afar – in photos provided by Benjamin Illulian of Illulian Realty (@illulianrealty.)
While the luxury kitchen – which joins onto a spacious living room – boasts high-end Miele appliances and a large countertop.
According to Dirt, there is a small backyard featuring a plunge pool with attached spa, a grass lawn and covered loggias for outdoor dining, and there are also floating upstairs gardens with a built-in irrigation system.
The house includes four bedrooms – including a master suite with a private balcony – and four bathrooms but it’s unclear if and when the famous family are planning to move into it, or if they have bought it for other purposes.
The couple’s current $14million 8,520-square-foot home in Beverly Hills was purchased in 2016 and used to be owned by Rihanna.
Meanwhile, John recently admitted his kids’ upbringing is very different to his own and he’s doing his best to make sure they’re not spoiled.
He said: ‘They’re growing up in a very rarefied space, one that I don’t have an experience dealing with as a child. I always try to figure out a way to make sure they’re not a**holes.’
The All of Me hitmaker has experienced touring both on his own as a bachelor as well as with his family and is excited for the kids to join him on tour as he likes seeing the ‘world through their eyes”.
He added: ‘I’ve toured through the different phases of my life, [from] being a bachelor in my mid-twenties, to being a forty-year-old husband with two young kids.
‘I love bringing the family along and I’m excited to have them with me on the tour bus. It’s fun to see the world through their eyes.’
Inside ‘The Voice’ coaches multi-million-dollar homes: Gwen Stefani, John Legend, Reba McEntire, more
See inside the jaw-dropping homes of The Voice coaches past and present
‘The Voice’ has seen 19 different coaches sit in the famous spinning red chairs over the last 24 seasons, including the current line-up of Gwen Stefani, John Legend, Reba McEntire, and Niall Horan.
But when they are not listening out for the next singing sensation, they return to their jaw-dropping mansions filled with multiple rooms, bold interiors, and spacious backyards that cost them millions of dollars. Take a look below at some of the past and present ‘The Voice’ coaches’ incredible properties…
Gwen Stefani, 54, splits her time between two jaw-dropping properties. She and her husband, former ‘The Voice’ coach Blake Shelton, 47, own a $13 million home in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles and a 1,000-acre ranch in Oklahoma.
Their LA home is a three-story property with 13,000 square feet of living space. Highlights include a home theater, an outdoor pool and spa, tennis courts, and an alfresco kitchen area. It also boasts statement interiors like plenty of leopard print and bold colors.
WATCH: Inside Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton’s bold LA living room
The living room has a large marble-clad fireplace, a bold zebra-print rug on the floor, two statement black-and-white tub chairs, as well as clashing curtains. The couple’s bedroom has a multi-colored four-poster bed with coordinating pillows, and a snake print rug on the floor, matching the snake print paneled feature wall.
Gwen Stefani’s bedroom also features bold, geometric prints
Their $4.3 million Oklahoma ranch features eclectic interiors with a laidback vibe. It boasts four bedrooms, several ponds, as well as a horse barn.
WATCH: Gwen Stefani shares glimpse at 1,000-acre Oklahoma ranch
The living room has vaulted ceilings with white wooden paneling on the walls and a huge chandelier hanging in the middle of the ceiling. The dining room also features the same wooden paneling and has windows offering views out to the ranch’s sprawling grounds.
John Legend, 44, and his wife, Chrissy Teigen, 37, recently moved into a stunning Beverly Hills mansion designed by architect and interior designer Jake Arnold.
“We love how open it feels, and how it’s so connected to the outdoors,” John told Architectural Digest, describing their last home as “darker and more cloistered, like a sanctuary.” Chrissy added: “We like bright pops of color. We wanted to crazy it up a bit, to add a little funk.”
The house features many prominent pieces of furnishing, including a Nacho Carbonell light sculpture, a gently rounded Joseph Dirand dining table crowned by a Jeff Zimmerman light branch.
There is also a plush, biomorphic mohair rug hosting a crescent-shaped Pierre Yovanovitch oak sofa. Jake’s design embraces curves even in the kitchen, with a radiused marble island and a plaster hood.
Reba McEntire has kept details of her home largely under wraps, but she is believed to still live in Nashville, Tennessee – where she once owned a $5 million property that is now a five-star resort.
Reba McEntire lives in Nashville, Tennessee
The country music singer, 68, has shared glimpses inside her current home on social media, specifically her living and dining rooms and kitchen, all of which boast classic country chic interiors.
Reba McEntire has kept her home largely under wraps
Reba’s kitchen has a large breakfast bar with marble worktops and vintage cream cabinets with black handles. It leads into the dining room which features floor-to-ceiling windows and a wooden dining table.
Former One Direction star Niall Horan, 30, reportedly splits his time between his homes in LA and London. In 2016, he purchased a $4 million mansion in the Hollywood Hills that had been renovated by famed architect, Frank Gehry.
Niall is very private when it comes to sharing photos of his home, but according to Trulia, the property features five en-suite bedrooms, with the master suite occupying its own wing.
There is also a state-of-the-art kitchen, a dining room, a family room with a beamed ceiling, a sunken living room with a vaulted, grated ceiling, and French doors that overlook the spacious outside space, which comes complete with a large pool and a roof deck.
Kelly Clarkson, 41, waved goodbye to Los Angeles in 2023, relocating her family – and her talk show – to New York City. While it’s unclear where in the city she is now living, the former ‘The Voice’ coach has held onto her “tiny, two-bedroom” Montana ranch.
“I need roots,” she said on Dax Shepard’s ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast. “I like going places, but I need roots and, Montana, it’s that for me.” During the lockdown, Kelly showed off one of her cabins on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’, which you can see in the video below.
WATCH: Inside Kelly Clarkson’s Montana ranch
Alongside the main bed, there is a stainless-steel dining table with wooden chairs and black frames, a mini kitchenette complete with a black fridge-freezer and sink unit, a rustic log fireplace, and bunk beds for Kelly’s children, River, nine, and Remi, seven.
Former ‘The Voice’ coach, Christina Aguilera, 42, lives in a $10 million mansion in Beverly Hills with her fiancé Matthew Rutler, 38, and her two children Max, 15, and nine-year-old Summer.
The home is filled with decadent interiors and has over 11,000 square feet of space. Highlights include the library, multiple bars, and a walk-in wine cellar.
WATCH: Inside Christina Aguilera’s insane living room
She previously shared a glimpse inside her bright red living room which is accessorized with black, gold, white, and gray furnishings. There is a large red leather and white marble coffee table, a gold fireplace, as well as a large black library.
Her dressing room has a black and white tiled floor with a black beaded curtain leading into her bedroom, which features an enormous bed covered in pink, black, and white cushions, and a rose gold chandelier hanging above.
Jennifer Hudson, 42, lives in a $3 million, 12,000-square-foot property in Burr Ridge, just 17 miles from Chicago. It features six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a marbled foyer with a spiral floating staircase, two laundry rooms, a game room, an in-house screening room, and a heated garage big enough for six different cars.
WATCH: Jennifer Hudson shares peek inside majestic Chicago home
Of course, being the star she is, Jennifer has her own music room, with one wall decorated with hanging guitars, and her own office to keep track of her important dealings. Outside the home is just as impressive, with manicured lawns, immaculate stone pavements, and plenty of trees and greenery.
Nick Jonas, 31, and his wife, Priyanka Chopra, 41, bought a sprawling $20 million property in Encino, California, back in 2019, which features seven bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and a vast 20,000 square feet of living space.
Other amenities include a two-lane bowling alley, an outdoor swimming pool, a home cinema, and a games room. They also have complete privacy as the house sits on a three-acre site with a guardhouse and a long, gated driveway.
Reba McEntire reveals real reason behind diamond ring as she teases marriage to Rex Linn: ‘Let everybody talk’
The country icon and The Voice coach has been dating the CSI: Miami and Better Call Saul actor since 2020
Rex Linn and Reba McEntire attend Revels & Revelations 11 hosted by Bring Change To Mind in support of teen mental health at City Winery on October 09, 2023 in New York City
Reba McEntire may not be walking down the aisle and tying the knot for a third time anytime soon… or is she?
The country icon and current The Voice coach, 68, has been happily dating CSI: Miami star Rex Linn since 2020, and fans have long wondered whether third time’s the charm for the “Does He Love You” singer.
But while just this week she got a glimpse of what wearing a diamond ring on that finger again might look like, the Big Sky actress maintains there aren’t wedding bells ringing for her at the moment, or at least not yet.
On Monday, ahead of the newest episode of The Voice on NBC, Reba took a moment before joining fellow coaches John Legend, Niall Horan and Gwen Stefani on the stage to talk to Entertainment Tonight, and posed for photos wearing a diamond ring on her left ring finger.
When asked about her seemingly new bling, Reba maintained: “I just found it,” and even joked she did so to get a rise out of her colleagues and fans.
She explained she told her manager Leslie Matthews Duggar: “Imma put something over here, just let everybody talk about it.”
Reba and Rex started dating in 2020, though they first met in 1991
Reba later pressed that she isn’t in the process of planning a wedding, but that’s not to say it might not happen in the future.
During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in October, when host Andy Cohen had fans submit questions for guests, the very first inquired whether Reba would marry again.
The singer has been married twice, while her boyfriend has never married
“That would be up to him,” she said at the time, adding: “I’ve been married twice, he’s never been married, so if he wants to that’s totally up to him.”
Reba went on to admit that she did wonder when she first met Rex – or her “Sugar Tot,” as she calls him – why he himself had never walked down the aisle, and while she said it was initially a “head-scratcher,” she shared they had already talked it out.
The country star was previously married to Narvel Blackstock, formerly Kelly Clarkson’s father-in-law
The Grammy winner was first married back in 1976 to Charlie Battles until 1987, and later married producer Narvel Blackstock in 1989, with whom she shares son Shelby Blackstock.
Narvel – who is also a father to Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband Brandon Blackstock – and Reba split in 2015.
Both Reba and her former daughter-in-law Kelly have been candid about their costly divorce settlements from the two Narvel men, with both reportedly having to pay close to half of their financial assets to their exes.
Real Life BFFs Reba McEntire & Melissa Peterman Are Sisters in Lifetime’s ‘The Hammer’
Reba McEntire and Melissa Peterman are once again back on screen together in Reba McEntire’s The Hammer on Lifetime.
The two real life best friends previously starred in Reba together, and have also both appeared on Young Sheldon, although they have yet to share a scene.
Rex Linn, Reba’s real boyfriend and who has also appeared in Young Sheldon, also stars in the new movie.
In a new interview, Reba revealed that there are plans for the movie to develop into a franchise.
“You know, it could have been a limited series. It could be a series. It could be movies, because Kim [her character] does have so many great stories to tell,” she shared. “Melissa said several times, ‘Oh, my gosh, we could do this again.’”
Here’s a summary: Kim Wheeler is an outspoken, firecracker lawyer who is appointed Judge of the 5th District of Nevada and is one of the few traveling judges left in America. After the reigning judge passes away under suspicious circumstances, Kim finds herself covering a circuit that stretches between Las Vegas and Reno — a rugged, often desolate area where anything and everything can happen.
With gavel in hand, she lays down the law with a no-nonsense brand of justice, that quickly earns her the nickname “The Hammer.” As the investigation of the former judge’s death heats up, Kim’s sister Kris (Peterman), who runs the local brothel, suddenly becomes the prime suspect, and Kim must work even harder to make certain the appropriate justice is served.
Kay Shioma Metchie will also star in the movie, premiering TONIGHT, January 7, at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.
Reba McEntire and Rex Linn love scaring each other
Emma Mcintyre/Getty Images
On “Today,” Reba McEntire told hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager that one of her and Rex Linn’s favorite pastimes is trying to scare the pants off each other.
She also shared her favorite method for almost giving her poor partner a heart attack.
“I’ll sit there for 10 minutes, waiting for him to come out of the bathroom,” she said. “Be down a dark hall and just be silhouetted. It scares him to death. I think that’s the funniest thing in the world.”
For Halloween in 2020, Linn enlisted some help to play a spooky prank on McEntire.
“He ordered from Costco a seven-foot werewolf with a motion sensor in it, and he put it in my bathroom,” the “And Still” singer recalled during a 2021 virtual event, as recapped by Country Now.
McEntire wasn’t thrilled about being greeted with a growl from the “Thriller”-esque creature. But after threatening to fire anyone who helped Linn plan the werewolf prank, she didn’t demand that he take it back to Costco.
Once the initial shock wore off, she was able to laugh about it. “I was pretty flattered that he went to all that trouble to scare me,” she said.
But it’s more fun to be on the other side of a hair-raising prank when you have a hairy monster at your disposal. “We took it to every place we could to scare everybody else,” McEntire continued. “We had a blast.”
Reba McEntire reveals if she would marry Rex Linn: ‘We’ve been inseparable since we got together!’
Reba McEntire and Rex Linn have been “inseparable” since they got together.
The 69-year-old country music singer was initially married to Charlie Battles from 1976 until 1987 and then to Narvel Blackstock from 1989 until 2015 but struck up a relationship with former ‘CSI’ star Rex, 67, in 2020 after decades of being friends.
She told E! News: “It was just like a magnet. We didn’t get to see each other from January ‘til June 16, but we created an intimacy by texting and talking over the telephone that we wouldn’t have gotten if we’d have been together all of that time. We’ve been pretty much inseparable ever since June 16 of 2020.”
The ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ songstress – who has 34-year-old son Shelby with her second husband – hitmaker added that when a relationship has had a chance to blossom out of a platonic friendship, it means that both people love each other for how they are.
She said: “You know the ins and outs of their personality and their faults…You love them for the way they are, instead of it being a total attraction and sizing them up because of appearance. He makes me laugh!”
Reba insisted that she is “truly committed” to her partner – who has never tied the knot before nor does he have any children – and admitted that if he really wanted it, she would be willing to walk down the aisle for the third time in her life.
She said: “I’m truly committed to Rex. So if that’s something he feels totally strong about, that’s fine with me. He’s never been married before. So if he wants to experience that, I’m OK with that.”
Reba McEntire Says She Hit Back at Stylists Who Wanted to Change Her Look: ‘Make Me Look Like Me’ (Exclusive)
The 69-year-old Queen of Country, who’s celebrating Dove’s Real Beauty campaign, says that finding her confidence “was a revelation and a source of freedom”
Reba McEntire attends Revels & Revelations 11 in New York City on October 09, 2023.Photo:Noam Galai/Getty Images
Reba McEntire is the reigning Queen of Country for a reason.
Since her career took off with the release of her sophomore studio album Out of a Dream in 1979, the 69-year-old singer and actress has stayed true to who she is, both in her artistry and in the way she presents herself. This commitment is what drove McEntire to partner with Dove to celebrate 20 years since the launch of the Campaign for Real Beauty and the brand’s latest initiative, which promises to never use artificial intelligence (AI) to represent real people in advertising.
“I thought it was so important for us to stand up for ourselves and not let a computer take over our looks, our words, our acting, our singing, all that is us,” McEntire tells PEOPLE of working with Dove. “We want us to be used a hundred percent as we always have been, and the AI coming in will change us. And I didn’t appreciate that. Don’t like it, not for it.”
According to a press release from Dove, the brand promises to keep their advertising “free of digital and AI distortion, and unrealistic beauty standards of any kind.”
“We will never use AI imagery in place of real women,” the statement continues. “No digital distortion or AI manipulation: We never present the unachievable, manipulated, flawless images of ‘perfect’ beauty which the use of retouching tools can promote. We never use professional models or celebrities to portray real women in our product ads.”
Despite growing societal pressures, McEntire has never let the glitz and glam of Hollywood influence her. Instantly recognizable by her twangy vocals and copper-colored hair, she continues to embrace her authentic self — though she admits she wasn’t always so confident.
Growing up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, McEntire says she was a tomboy who didn’t have any sense of what was trendy, especially because her mother’s beauty regimen was non-existent.
“My mama was not into hair, makeup, looking a certain way. If she got us four kids dressed and out the door, that was a huge accomplishment,” she recalls. “If we got a brush through our hair, that was another big step. Get our teeth brushed, that was another big deal. So the niceties past that was not even a thought. It was just surviving.”
At school, McEntire says she wanted to be tan like her classmates, but eventually learned to embrace her fair skin. “It was a learning process of accepting me as I am, which didn’t happen until years later,” she reflects. “And finally getting comfortable in my own skin was a revelation and a source of freedom.”
Reba McEntire performs on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 4, 2000.Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
In her career as a performer, McEntire faced a new challenge — standing firm in who you are in a room full of people who want to change you. The Voice coach recalls being put in a strapless dress for an award show and having to constantly adjust it to keep it from falling down.
“I was so uncomfortable and self-conscious,” she recalls. “I said, ‘OK, from now on, never anything like that again.’”
She continues, “It took me a while to gain that confidence to stand up to a professional stylist, hair and makeup person and say, ‘That’s not me. I don’t like that.’ And they’d say, ‘Well, yeah, you just sit here and we’ll make sure you look just right.’ I said, ‘Well, make me look like me.’”
While McEntire says it used to be “frightening” for her to get dressed up for events, she looked to country music icons like Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell and Dolly Parton for courage and inspiration.
“They’re very strong and they know exactly what they want,” she says. “Those were my role models. Those were the women that I watched and learned and listened to and watched, learned from. They were my guide. They were my manual.”
Over her 45-year career, McEntire has not only become a role model in her own right but was dubbed “the Queen of Country.” At nearly 70 years old, the singer continues to stun fans with her seemingly ageless appearance. Her secret? Staying hydrated.
“I hydrate inside and out,” she says. “I have to make sure I’m getting a lot of hydration by the water I drink, the drinks I drink, the food I eat. It’s very important to hydrate the inside of your body. I’ve got very dry skin, so I have to be sure to hydrate or I look older than I should. It’s small things like that you have to do on a daily basis to keep your body in good shape.”
Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton attend the 11th Annual ACM Honors in Nashville, Tennessee on August 23, 2017.Rick Diamond/Getty
As McEntire looks to a future that inevitably includes AI, she remains steadfast in her belief that beauty has no real definition. And her dedication to setting an example for young women comes at a crucial time since according to Dove’s Global Beauty Study, 8 in 10 women (73 percent) feel more pressure to be beautiful now than eight years ago. It also states that 2 in 3 women (63 percent) believe women today are expected to be more physically attractive than their mother’s generation was.
“We have to stand up for ourselves,” she says. “I love what Dove is doing by letting people be encouraged and be proud of the way they look. We’re all different. That’s not a bad thing. And what’s perfect? Who knows? Who really cares? I don’t really like perfect. Even when I’m singing, when I’m doing recordings, I’d much rather for it to have heart and soul than to be perfect.”
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