Reba McEntire & Rex Linn’s Sweet Valentine’s Day Tradition Will Melt Your Heart!
Reba McEntire and her boyfriend, actor Rex Linn, are getting ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day together. The couple, who started dating in 2020, has a special tradition they follow every year.
While many couples go to fancy restaurants for Valentine’s Day, Reba and Rex prefer something much simpler. They go to the same place every year, but it’s not a fancy steakhouse or seafood restaurant.
So, where do Reba and Rex eat on Valentine’s Day? Sonic!
“It’s a ritual,” Reba told TODAY in 2024 when talking about their Valentine’s Day tradition. After hearing their story, Sonic invited them to help promote a special “Sweetheart Meal” for the holiday.
The couple’s love story began when they went out to dinner with friends in 2020 (not at Sonic). Reba, who loves casual foods like corn dogs and chicken tenders, was excited when she saw tater tots on the menu.
Rex thought it was funny how much Reba loved tater tots. So, he decided to give her the nickname “Tater Tot,” and it stuck. As their relationship grew, Reba started calling him “Sugar Tot.” Now, they affectionately call themselves “The Tots.”
To celebrate their love for crispy tater tots, Reba and Rex make it a tradition to eat at Sonic every Valentine’s Day. “Every year, it’s our thing: The Tots go to Sonic,” Reba told TODAY.
Reba also talked about their Valentine’s Day meal in a 2023 interview with Garth Brooks. She said Rex always buys the food, and they enjoy their meal right in the car.
“We love Sonic tater tots, they’re absolutely wonderful. And to go in there and get a #1 cheeseburger with everything on it and tater tots? Man, that’s a great Valentine’s dinner. We loved it, sat right there in the car and ate it.”
Reba and Rex are almost always together. Since they started dating, they have worked on several projects together, including The Hammer and Big Sky.
Right now, they both star in the new NBC sitcom Happy’s Place. The show follows Reba’s character, Bobbie, who finds out she has a younger half-sister after their father passes away. The two must learn to work together as business partners while running their dad’s tavern.
Rex plays Emmett, the tavern’s cook. He may seem tough and serious, but he has a soft spot—especially for Bobbie.
Reba’s close friend and former Reba sitcom co-star Melissa Peterman also stars in the show as Gabby, a bartender. Melissa says Reba and Rex are “adorable” together on set.
“…oftentimes…we’re taking a five-minute break or we’re having breakfast or lunch, and you look over at the bar set—it takes place at Happy’s Place—and you see them sitting together in a booth. It looks like they’re on a real date at a restaurant, just being so cute together.”
“The Tots” have great chemistry on-screen too, as seen in one of their scenes from the show. We hope they have a wonderful Valentine’s Day this year!
