Reba McEntire And Dolly Parton's Longtime Friendship Includes One Surprising Boundary

For her 75th birthday, Dolly Parton shared some timeless wisdom on matters of the heart: "Love too often gets buried in a world of hurt and fear. And we have to work to dig it out so we can share it with our family, our friends, and our neighbors" (via her website). In her close-knit circle, that love extends to Parton's husband, Carl Thomas Dean, along with her longtime friend and fellow country superstar, Reba McEntire. However, while she's all about sharing the love, she doesn't share these two with each other. On "Andy Cohen Live," McEntire revealed that despite being one of Parton's oldest friends, she has never met Dean.

This isn't the first time McEntire has shared quirky details about their friendship. Speaking again to Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live," she let slip that Parton takes a retro approach when it comes to staying in touch. "Dolly does not text," she said, nor does she email; the only way to get a hold of her friend is by fax. But why is Parton so private? In an episode of "The Kelleigh Bannen Show," she said, "My mama told me when I was young, 'Always keep something back for you. You can give what you've got to give, but don't give it all away'" (via YouTube). As she sang on her 1968 album with Porter Wagoner, she likes when some things include "Just the Two of Us."

Like the rest of us, Reba McEntire was a huge fan of Dolly Parton long before they began their decades-long friendship. Talking about their first meeting, McEntire reminisced, "I thought, my gosh, that's probably what an angel looks just like, right there" (via Facebook). The "I'm a Survivor" singer later shared to Absolute Radio Country, "To me, Dolly is so witty, so warm, so approachable." This comes as no surprise — there's a reason she's universally known as "America's Sweetheart." 

Over the years, their friendship has been a favorite for country fans, and they were in for a special treat when the two came together for a rendition of McEntire's hit "Does He Love You," originally sung with Linda Davis. For McEntire, performing with Parton was a "dream come true" (via Taste of Country), while Parton shared a clip on TikTok captioned, "Nothing like singing with my dear friend." Fans were over the moon, flooding the comments with praise like "Doesn't get much better than that" and "OMG two of the greatest country singers of all time." It's safe to say, Parton and McEntire, we will always love you.