Is Reba McEntire Hard Of Hearing? The Rumor, Debunked
"Rumor Has It" may be one of Reba McEntire's most enduring hits, but it's the tabloid press who have gotten the most mileage out of those three little words over the years. From plastic surgery allegations to a supposed feud with fellow country music legend Dolly Parton, Reba is no stranger to the celebrity rumor mill. One inexplicably persistent conspiracy about the famed musician is that she secretly wears hearing aids, with some even going so far as to speculate that she may in fact be partially or completely deaf. This is, of course, totally baseless hearsay. While it's not unusual for musicians to suffer hearing loss as a result of their frequent proximity to loud speakers, Reba has never indicated she is hard of hearing.
One possible reason why this rumor has gained so much traction online is that people already associate Reba with hearing loss, thanks to her previous work with the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Her advocacy for the hard of hearing, coupled with the fact musicians frequently wear earpieces on stage during live performances, could very well explain why so many people believe the country music star is one of the millions of Americans living with an auditory impairment.
Rumors about Reba have also been used to hock products
Baseless rumors about Reba McEntire's personal life aren't the only way people have exploited her celebrity status for clicks. As a staple of American culture for over 50 years, Reba is easily one of the most trusted names in entertainment, so it's no surprise brands like Cracker Barrel and Dillard's have sought her endorsement. However, not all companies have been willing to earn her coveted seal of approval. One online company famously fabricated Reba's endorsement of its CBD gummies, resulting in a bizarre online rumor that the country singer was engaged in a legal dispute with Fox News host Martha MacCallum.
According to Snopes, an article began circulating Facebook in early 2024 claiming that MacCallum planned to sue McEntire for contract violation after she created a line of CBD gummies aimed at reversing dementia. It sounds downright scandalous, the only issue is Reba never created a line of CBD gummies, nor does she have a contract with Fox News. Also, she was never being sued by Martha MacCallum. The article was a fake, published to a dummy site designed to look like Fox News with the intention of tricking people into believing Reba's connection to the CBD product was legitimate.
In response to the proliferation of the fake article, Reba issued a formal statement on her Facebook page, warning fans to steer clear of the scam and imploring them to report any other posts related to her endorsement of the product.