Reba McEntire Honors ‘Golden Girls’ With Emmys Tribute in First Appearance After Stepson’s Death

The 2025 Emmys honored The Golden Girls for the show’s 40th anniversary. The special tribute was performed by Reba McEntire, who was joined by Little Big Town singers Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman.

Shortly after McEntire’s engagement to Rex Linn was confirmed on the red carpet, the ladies sang the show’s theme song, “Thank You for Being a Friend,” during the show. “Celebrating 40 years of one of our favorite shows tomorrow evening on The #Emmys 🏆,” The Voice Season 28 coach wrote on Instagram the day before her performance. The performance was done in a reenactment of the set from Golden Girls.

“To the characters and legends who brought them to life, thank you for being our friend,” Schlapman said after the performance. The ladies then announced the winner for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Reba McEntire just sang the Golden Girls theme song during the Emmys and all the celebs was vibingggg lol pic.twitter.com/5qhimzjkyn

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) September 15, 2025

The Golden Girls premiered in 1985 and ran for seven seasons before ending in 1992. The show starred Betty White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. All four ladies have since died.

Meanwhile, this was McEntire’s first public appearance since the death of her stepson, Brandon Blackstock, in August. Blackstock died after privately battling melanoma, a form of skin cancer, for three years. McEntire was previously married to Blackstock’s father, Narvel Blackstock, from 1989 until 2015. However, she said she still considered his kids to be her family following the divorce.

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“Last week, my stepson/oldest son Brandon Blackstock went home to be with God,” McEntire wrote on Instagram after Blackstock’s death. “His struggle is over and he is in eternal peace in God’s presence. There is no one else like him, and I’m thankful for the time we had together. His legacy and laughter will be carried on through his family. Rest in peace cowboy. Happy trails to you til we meet again.”

McEntire reportedly took some time off from filming Season 28 of The Voice after Blackstock’s death, but she’s been posting from the set of the show in recent weeks. She’ll be one of the coaches this fall, alongside Niall Horan, Snoop Dogg, and Michael Bublé. This will be her fourth season as a coach, and she’s looking for her second win after her team member Asher HaVon‘s victory in Season 25.

77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Sunday, September 14, 8/7c, CBS