The Voice Co-Star Reba McEntire Has A Tight Relationship With Off-Screen

Queen of Country Reba McEntire joined "The Voice" to fill Blake Shelton's cowboy boots after he left the show in 2023. It might still be early days for the singer, but she appears to be fitting in nicely! In a promo for Season 24, McEntire said, "Everybody's just as sweet and kind offstage as they can be." In an interview with the "Today" show, she reaffirmed, "They're being so sweet, teaching me, guiding me ... I couldn't do it without 'em." Of the other three judges, fans might think that McEntire is closest with Gwen Stefani since Stefani is married to McEntire's longtime friend, Shelton. And it's true that the "Hollaback Girl" singer and McEntire get along like a barn on fire, but the Queen of Country actually has a soft spot for the show's youngest judge, Niall Horan.

Their close relationship is obvious in the show's outtakes, such as when Horan pretended to be McEntire's bodyguard and insisted that no one look at her. According to NBC, the pair bonded over a mutual love of golf, and their fellow judges began picking up on the fact they spend a lot of time together. "Gwen, have you noticed? It seems like Reba and Niall are, like, best friends now," fellow coach John Legend noted, to which Stefani playfully responded, "Totally weird!" Weird or not, McEntire and Horan's sweet friendship might make them the real winners of Season 24.

Here's more proof they were always meant to be besties: Niall Horan was an admirer of Reba McEntire before Season 24. Earlier in 2023, the country legend joined "The Voice" Season 23 as a Mega-Mentor and left a lasting impression on Horan. "It was an honor to work with Reba McEntire. Just to even be in the same room as her. She's a legend. She transcends country music. She's just an icon," Horan said, per NBC. After witnessing the impact McEntire had on his team, the former One Direction member continued to gush over her. "She's got wisdom that only a few people have. And she's willing to give some of it away. You know, for my artists, it was pretty sweet," he added.

In good news for Horan, the feeling is mutual. After joining the crew in Season 24, McEntire was impressed by her fellow Coach's warm, authentic demeanor and ability to win over artists. "If I had a daughter, I'd want her to marry [Niall]. Oh my gosh. I love him!" McEntire told John Legend and Gwen Stefani during the blind auditions.

Producers on "The Voice" have also documented McEntire and Horan's relationship on Instagram. In a promo for the show, McEntire teasingly refers to Horan as "the little one," proving that she and Horan have a sweet big-sister-little-brother relationship. In another reel, the pair walk arm-in-arm to Queen's "You're My Best Friend."

Reba McEntire and Niall Horan are both singers, but it's not music that bonded them. "When Reba was here last season as a Mega-Mentor, we became good friends pretty quick. We realized we had one thing in common — and that was golf," Horan explained. McEntire hilariously added that her golf game got exponentially better "after one beer," leading Horan to question, "What about three?"

Since "The Voice"' isn't exactly a golf-lovers paradise, McEntire and Horan made do with what they could find. "The Voice" shared an Instagram clip of the two judges riding around the set in a golf cart and playing an impromptu round of putt-putt. This included sinking shots into a trash can and down the hallway, with the friends cheering each other on. "Don't miss 'The Voice' Monday and Tuesday ... to see if I get that hole in one," McEntire said at the end of the video.

Horan and McEntire's friendship demonstrates how Horan has prioritized relationships with the judges. Before McEntire was on the scene, the Irish native was close with her predecessor, Blake Shelton. Shelton's departure from "The Voice" hit Horan hard, as he told ET. "I didn't know the guy in October of last year, but he's just been a constant. We text every day. He's been a laugh the whole [time]. ...I'm gonna miss him," he said. On a show that's all about vocal competition, it's nice to see such an emphasis on friendship.