Reba McEntire spoke candidly about her divorce from Narvel Blackstock.
What Reba McEntire Said
On the “Forging Your Own Path” episode of Living & Learning With Reba McEntire podcast, the country singer spoke openly about her relationship and their decision to divorce. Blackstock was her longtime manager and husband of 26 years.
McEntire spoke to Reba alum Melissa Peterman during the episode that discussed her relationship and business. The “Fancy” singer said that forging your own path is your choice. “The divorce was not my choice,” she admitted. “I did not want it at all. So it was left up to me of, ‘Okay, kid, how you gonna handle this?'”
“So when the three people who were literally taking care of me, my company and my career left me, it was kind of a ‘Buckle up, buttercup’ moment for me,” she laughed. “I had to … what the hell am I gonna do?”
She then had a business meeting with her team that put things in perspective for her. “It was kind of a, as I call it, a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting, and I had to gather my wherewithal, put my feelings aside and go forward.”
Her New Path
McEntire admitted that she forged her own path that she did not want any part of, but she knew that she had to. She called her time learning, “catch up 101.” McEntire learned how to conduct her business without her soon-to-be ex-husband and she made it work.
“But not only for myself but for my band, my crew, my organization,” she added. “The RBI [Reba Business Inc.]. I had to say, ‘Okay, this has happened. We all know what’s happened, ’cause you were all involved. Now we’ve got to move forward.'”
“I had to learn so much that was dumped on my lap,” she continued. “But I think it’s made me appreciate the business more. I’ve learned a lot. There I was again, forging another part of the territory I never even thought I would have to be involved in.”
Finally, Reba McEntire announced her breakup in August 2015 and the divorce was finalized on October 28, 2015.
