Reba McEntire remembers the time she went viral on TikTok with ‘I'm a Survivor.' She thinks Kevin Costner could help her do it again.
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Four years ago, Reba McEntire went viral on TikTok.
In 2021, the platform was suddenly flooded with videos of millennials and Gen Z-ers accomplishing easy but undesirable tasks — like finally doing laundry from a week ago, taking out the trash when your partner is away or picking up your dinner rather than getting it delivered — soundtracked to McEntire's 2001 hit song, 'I'm a Survivor.'
Lyrics like, 'But she's just too hard-headed/A single mom who works two jobs/Who loves her kids and never stops/With gentle hands and the heart of a fighter/I'm a survivor,' have struck a satirical chord with TikTokers. The track, which was famously used as the theme song for McEntire's eponymous sitcom, Reba, even reached No. 2 on Billboard's Viral Songs Chart.
The song's virality came as a pleasant surprise for McEntire, who even got in on the trend herself. In the 23-second video clip that's been viewed on TikTok more than 25 million times, McEntire tries to feed the donkeys on her farm, only they couldn't care less.
'When it's time to feed your donkeys and they're not the least bit interested,' she wrote alongside the video.
McEntire believes the song took off on the video-sharing platform because of its relatability. We're all survivors in some respect, she says.
'Everybody's dealing with their own things in their own life. And 'I'm a Survivor' is a song about survivors,' McEntire told Yahoo Entertainment. 'We all are. We deal with our own problems in our own ways, and we get through. People can relate to that.'
After first hearing 'I'm a Survivor,' which was written by Shelby Kennedy and Phillip White, McEntire knew it was something special.
'I thought to myself, 'Oh, my cousin can relate to it.' Then I thought, 'Well, shoot, I can relate to it,'' she said. 'When I'm in concert, I'll look around at people and they are singing with me, and I know that they've had something in their life that they have overcome.'
When asked which of her songs she'd love to go viral next and how, McEntire's response is immediate: 1994's 'Why Haven't I Heard From You?' with a little help from Yellowstone star Kevin Costner. McEntire has often sung Costner's praises and even expressed interest in appearing in Yellowstone with the actor in 2022.
'That would be good,' she told Yahoo. 'Picking up the phone and saying, 'Kevin Costner, why haven't I heard from you?' Then, you could have Kevin on this side of the screen saying, 'Reba McEntire, why haven't I heard from you?' That could go viral.'
While fans may need to wait to witness McEntire's return to online virality, they can tune into the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, which McEntire will be hosting. This year marks the 18th time the Reba star has emceed the annual ceremony, which celebrates the highest achievement in country music.
Acknowledging how the awards show has 'totally changed' since the first time she hosted in 1986, McEntire's grateful for the opportunity to be back once again. She's particularly grateful to one entertainment industry mentor in particular. .
'Dick Clark was really, really good to me,' said McEntire.
The Academy of Country Music Awards, as with many awards shows, is a live production. The nature of the format doesn't lend itself to editing or rewrites — and requires that the ceremony takes place within its allotted time.
'What's very important is when they say, 'We're running over,' 'We're running short,' 'We're running behind.' It's my responsibility to keep things popping and clicking. And if they take some of my dialogue out, don't get your panties in a wad about it. You've got a job to do. Get back out there and make the show flow,' said McEntire.
Reba McEntire on NBC's The Voice in 2024. (Griffin Nagel/NBC via Getty Images)
'It's the excitement of live television' that's exhilarating for McEntire. In addition to her veteran hosting status, McEntire was a small-screen darling and primetime television mainstay thanks to the WB's Reba, which was shot in a classic sitcom style with a live studio audience. She revisited that live TV format 16 years later, when she took over for Blake Shelton as a coach on NBC's The Voice from 2023 to 2024.
McEntire will again find herself in front of a live audience with her latest sitcom, NBC's Happy's Place, which returns for its second season in October. It's a dream come true for the country superstar, who, as a self-described 'true fan of TV,' considers working in the industry to be 'such a gift.'
In Happy's Place, McEntire stars as Bobbie, a woman who inherits her late father's tavern and is thrown into a family business with a half-sister she never knew existed.
Like Reba, the series hinges on family, and the idea that a home is whatever you make it. The sentiment feels apt for McEntire, who recently partnered with Realtor.com on their "Nearly Home" campaign to encourage homebuyers to approach the task with optimism.
Reba McEntire. (Realtor.com)
'It makes me feel good,' McEntire said of her involvement in the campaign. 'I want to be a part of the team who is bringing joy into people's lives by finding them the right home for them and their family.'
For McEntire, her chosen family, home and dream project have miraculously converged.
'I've got it right now with Happy's Place,' she said. 'I couldn't have asked for a better cast, a better crew, writing team, showrunners, producers, everybody in that whole organization. … Everybody was so joyful to work with. They came to work with a smile.'
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