Reba McEntire And Melissa Peterman's Friendship Is A 'Forever' Kind Of Thing

When viewers first saw Reba McEntire and Melissa Peterman play rivals-turned-friends in the sitcom "Reba," the chemistry between the two actors was very apparent. McEntire played the titular Reba, a so-called scorned woman, and Peterman starred as Barbra Jean, "the other woman" who marries Reba's ex-husband. The characters' hijinks were hilarious, and after six years working together on the show, McEntire and Peterman developed a strong bond. Forging deep friendships as an adult isn't always easy — especially in Hollywood. 

This explains why Peterman knows her bond with McEntire is special. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Peterman shared, "In this business, we have a lot of 'Hollywood friends,' and you have friends that you share just the good stuff with. I think I knew that when we started sharing the real-life stuff, that it was forever." The actor said that she and McEntire will always have each other's backs, even if they don't get another chance to work together.

Peterman revealed on Jordin Sparks' podcast, "What's Your Spark?" in 2025 that she and McEntire instantly clicked on "Reba." The "Baby Daddy" star gushed, "I knew that the chemistry between this cast was something that was pretty special." Peterman added that the bond between her and McEntire was quite rare, stating, "We know how to work together really well, and we play really well off each other." That became even clearer the second time Peterman and her bestie worked together on the show "Happy's Place" in 2024.

Reba McEntire equally values her friendship with Melissa Peterman, telling Entertainment Weekly in 2024, "We've been buddies. We've been co-workers. We've had so much fun." Staying connected with friends as you age requires a little more effort, especially if you're talking about colleagues who no longer work together. The "Reba" stars keep their friendship strong by taking trips together during their downtime, with Peterman sharing, "I got to go on tour with her and open the show and do standup, and we vacation together. We hang out, and we just were waiting for another project so we could actually go to work together again."

Although they enjoy working together, the two actors know that it's not healthy to treat friendships like a job, so they make it a point to prioritize fun. Peterman spoke to NBC about how much of a blast it is to vacation with McEntire. "We laugh a lot. We play a lot of games. We always bring games. We ate a lot. It's really easy to travel with her." McEntire and Peterman's vacays sound just like their relationship — relaxed and drama-free. Where do we sign up to be a part of their friend group?