Reba McEntire is one of the most successful artists of her generation, thanks to a combination of her music career, advertising deals, film appearances, and television sitcoms. She’s widely hailed as the “Queen of Country.”
According to Celebrity Net Worth, McEntire’s net worth is estimated at $95 million. Read on to learn more about her career, and how she’s managed to break down several boundaries as a female entertainer.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. She’s Sold 90 Million Albums Worldwide & Is One of the Biggest Artists Ever
McEntire has sold over 90 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists in any genre. She released her self-titled debut in 1977, but she found her greatest success in the late 1980s, when she released a string of number one hits and helped revitalize the traditional country sound for mainstream listeners. Some of her most notable hits include “How Blue”, “Somebody Should Leave”, “The Last One to Know”, and “For My Broken Heart.”
McEntire released her latest album, Stronger Than the Truth, on April 5, 2019. During an interview with Taste of Country, she talked about the direction for the album, and how it differed from her previous release. “The response to Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope reinforced my love for recording songs that speak to the heart,” she revealed. “So when I started selecting songs for this album, I stuck with that same formula – go with the songs that touch my heart, and hopefully when you hear me singing it, they’ll touch yours too. That honesty once again revealed itself.”
McEntire has notched 32 number one singles, meaning that she holds the record for the most number one singles by a female country artist. She also holds the record for the most Top 10 hits by a female country artist. Of the 33 studio albums that McEntire has released, 28 of them have been certified gold or platinum.
2. She Got Into a Salary Dispute During Her WB Sitcom ‘Reba’
McEntire broke into television with the WB sitcom Reba. The series was a ratings smash, and ran for six seasons between 2001 and 2007. In the midst of this success, however, McEntire got into a dispute with WB and demanded a raise. Reba encountered filming delays as early as 2004, according to E! News, and the rumor was that the country star was holding out in attempt to renegotiate her contract.
In September 2005, McEntire and WB announced that they had settled on a deal that granted the former a sizable pay raise. Neither side disclosed the specific amount. In addition to Reba, McEntire has starred in a number of films and television shows. She made her screen debut with 1990’s Tremors, and has since lent her voice to animated films like The Fox and the Hound 2 and The Land Before Time: Journey of the Brave.
In terms of TV, McEntire led the short-lived sitcom Malibu County, and made guest appearances on popular shows like Frasier, Last Man Standing, and America’s Got Talent.
3. She’s Donated Thousands of Dollars to Various Charities & Foundations
McEntire has made donations to countless charities and foundations throughout her career. In October 2010, she donated $60,000 to a school in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. According to CMT News, the school was suffering from a 22 percent budget gap from the previous year, and McEntire’s donation helped keep them afloat.
In December 2011, McEntire donated $200,000 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma after she learned about the Food for Kids program, which provides healthy food choices to school children. Rodney Bivens, the executive director of the Regional Food Bank, issued a statement thanking her for her generosity. “We are thankful for this generous donation from Reba McEntire,” he said. “No child should ever have to go to bed with the pains of hunger in their stomach.”
In May 2018, McEntire joined country stars Dolly Parton and Kacey Musgraves and donated several items to the Girls Rock Camp Alliance. The alliance is a nonprofit that supports summer camps and music education programs for female, transgender and gender non-conforming youth. In addition to high-priced items, the artists met with the camp members and gave advice about pursuing a music career.
4. She Runs Her Own Management Company RBI Inc.
In 2015, McEntire announced that she was starting her own management company. Known as RBI Inc, or Reba’s Business Incorporated, the company was found as a means of giving the singer more creative freedom. “Narvel has been my manager since 1988, and so I thought it was a good time now to break free of that,” she told Billboard. “So what we’re doing [now] is my team at Starstruck, which is now RBI — Reba’s Business Incorporated.”
“It’s teamwork. I am a team player,” she went on to explain. “When I had to get out there in front by myself, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as when everybody would come to the front with me and sing and play their instruments. That’s what I’m loving about our team now. It’s team management. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, but I sure do like it.”
McEntire is the president of RBI, and brought several of her closest associates with her. Carolyn Snell, who spent nine years as McEntire’s tour manager, is RBI’s associate manager, while Theresa Connelly is head of creative marketing.
5. She Admits That Money Has Motivated Some of Her Career Choices
During an interview with Kix Brooks, McEntire admitted that money affected some of her choices earlier in her career. “You know, money has driven me a lot,” she said. She went on to explain that the reason she wanted money wasn’t because she wanted to buy tons of different things, but because she grew up without much money, and always dreamed of being financially stable.
“I grew up with not having a lot of things that I thought I wanted,” she said. “And then when you get to making money, then you buy that stuff and you think ‘crap that’s just a bunch of stuff.‘” As time passed, she came to realize that the creative process as a musician and an actress was what mattered to her the most.
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Reba McEntire’s Net Worth: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know