Reba McEntire Used To Have A Major Crush On Travis Kelce

Reba McEntire's performance at the 2024 Super Bowl had everyone saying the same thing: The woman is positively ageless. In her Swarovski crystal-studded jacket and black pants, she belted out the national anthem with the same energy she had back when her first album dropped in 1977. McEntire must also have been elated at the outcome of the game, when the Kansas City Chiefs pulled out a squeaker of a win in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers. True, she's a huge football fan, but she's also a fan of one particular player — one who recently went off the market.

In the fall of 2023, Taylor Swift finally went public with her much-rumored romance with Chiefs star Travis Kelce. Naturally it was all anyone could talk about, including the country superstar. In an interview with the "Today" show to promote her new book, McEntire joked about being heartbroken at the news. "Oh, my gosh, I am so mad at her because I had a crush on him," she said. "Now I can't have a crush on him because he's dating her."

So smitten was McEntire that she even referred to Kelce as her "boyfriend," sighing that he had "cheated" on her with the pop queen. (All in fun, of course.) 

Though Reba McEntire and her boyfriend Rex Linn enjoy watching Chiefs games to see the stunning plays of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, she started following Travis Kelce for reasons that had nothing to do with first downs. "We were watching him play because I love the Chiefs and I love Patrick, and I'd say, 'Oh, he's so cute. He's so cute,'" she told "Today."

Alas for Reba McEntire, her schoolgirl crush will have to stay unrequited. The passionate kiss Travis Kelce shared with Taylor Swift after the Super Bowl left no doubt they're fully committed to each other. True, Swift hasn't exactly had the best track record when it comes to relationships (though her breakups have inspired some fabulous songs), but the two seem to be in it for the long haul. A source has even told Page Six #87 plans to pop the question this July on the one-year anniversary of their coupledom. Reportedly, they're ready to do the ring thing now, but "they don't want it to seem like it's rushed insanity," the insider said. 

Linn is amused by it all, which McEntire jokingly finds "sad." "When [Kelce] and Taylor started dating, Rex said, 'Your boyfriend's got another girlfriend,'" "The Voice" judge told the anchors. "I said, 'Rub it in.'" 

Don't cry for what might have been. Maybe Reba McEntire and Travis Kelce will never be a thing (though "ReVis" has a nice ring to it), but both the country star and the gridiron great are quite happy in their own separate relationships. McEntire has been dating actor and longtime friend Rex Linn ("Young Sheldon" and "Better Call Saul") since 2020, and they've worked together both on "Sheldon" and the ABC series "Big Sky". 

Even if fate had worked out differently, it might not have been a good match, anyway. McEntire is a down-home girl with simple tastes; her new book, "Not That Fancy," is devoted to the joy of such pleasures as sipping iced tea on the back porch. Her and Linn's Instagram feeds feature pics of them raising chickens, relaxing by the creek, and holding a Hillbilly Chili Cookoff at home with friends. As if that weren't enough cuteness, the couple even have adorable nicknames for each other: "Tater Tot" and "Sugar Tot." (She's the "Tater," after her favorite snack.) By comparison, Kelce and Taylor Swift are more often spotted dining at high-end New York restaurants and jetting around the world for her concerts. 

But perhaps McEntire and Kelce will one day meet on a strictly platonic basis. The tight end recorded a Christmas song with his brother Jason Kelce as part of a charity effort for the Philadelphia Eagles (seen here on YouTube). Can an appearance on "The Voice" be far behind?