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Reba McEntire's Co-Star Reveals What She Was Really Like Off Set
Reba McEntire's Co-Star Reveals What She Was Really Like Off Set originally appeared on Parade.
A former co-star of Reba McEntire's recently opened up about working with the superstar and revealed tidbits about their relationship now. JoAnna Garcia Swisher starred on McEntire's show Reba from 2001 to 2007, and she shared that the bond they formed has continued all these years later.
Garcia Swisher talked to The Blast about McEntire and shared that the opportunity to work together was "a dream come true."
"You have this person that's just such an icon, she's the queen, and then she's also like a mom to me," Garcia Swisher explained. She continued, "And she was in it with us. She was doing a sitcom for the first time and dove in fearlessly."
The former Reba star thinks McEntire is an inspiration, and notes, "She's just an exceptional person inside and out."
In addition, Garcia Swisher shared, McEntire is "just a real humble, good human. She doesn't take herself too seriously. She's all heart. I'm in awe of her."
Reba wrapped up nearly two decades ago, but the cast remains close. "We talk all the time. We are very, very close," Garcia Swisher revealed. She reflects on her experience on the show and says it was "a pivotal moment in my life."
Garcia Swisher also noted McEntire's "fearlessness" was something she would "forever admire."
As Garcia Swisher noted, the series was McEntire's first time doing a comedy show. Garcia Swisher reflected, "It was cool to see someone who had achieved so much in other areas of entertainment be so eager to try something new."
In April, on an episode of Sibling Revelry with Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson, Garcia Swisher revealed that McEntire and Reba co-star Christopher Rich stepped up as parental figures after she lost her mother and father.
Rich officiated Garcia Swisher's wedding in 2010, and both McEntire and Reba star Melissa Peterman were bridesmaids.
"I was so lucky to be a working actress on a television show that was beloved, but also, that I had real people that cared about me and made sure I was safe," Garcia Swisher recalled of McEntire and her fellow Reba co-stars.
Reba McEntire's Co-Star Reveals What She Was Really Like Off Set first appeared on Parade on Jul 21, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
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