Reba McEntire Thanks Kelly Clarkson for 'Beautiful' Kellyoke Cover of Her Hit 'Till You Love Me'

Clarkson was previously married to McEntire's stepson, Brandon Blackstock, for nearly seven years before they split in June 2020

Kelly Clarkson's latest cover has Reba McEntire's stamp of approval.

The 41-year-old "Since U Been Gone" singer performed a cover of the 69-year-old country icon's 1994 hit "Till You Love Me" on the April 1 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, and McEntire then took to social media and praised her.

"Thanks KC for covering my song #TillYouLoveMe on your show today!" wrote McEntire alongside a clip of the NBC talk show's daily Kellyoke segment. "Did y’all catch her beautiful rendition?"

Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire
Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire.

Adam Christopher/NBCUniversal via Getty

The two musicians have a long history. After collaborating on a country version of Clarkson's "Because of You" for McEntire's 2007 album, Reba: Duets, they embarked on a North American tour together, billed as 2 Worlds 2 Voices, the following year.

McEntire was married to Narvel Blackstock from 1989 to 2015. Clarkson met Narvel's son, Brandon, in 2006, and they later entered a romantic relationship before getting engaged in December 2012 and tying the knot the following October.

The American Idol winner filed for divorce from Brandon — with whom she shares two kids, daughter River Rose and son Remington Alexander — in 2020, which was finalized two years later. (He is also father to son Seth and daughter Savannah from his previous marriage to Melissa Ashworth.)

Kelly Clarkson
Seth Blackstock, Remington Alexander Blackstock, Savannah Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson, River Rose Blackstock and Brandon Blackstock.

Getty

Clarkson and the "Fancy" singer collaborated multiple times throughout the marriage, and they've remained supportive of one another since the divorce.

In an October 2021 interview with EXTRA, McEntire spoke about her deep connections to both Clarkson and Brandon. "You know, I love them both, Brandon's my stepson, Kelly's my good friend, and I'm pulling for both of them," she said at the time, while divorce proceedings were still underway. "I hope they're happy and healthy and pull through this."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

53rd Academy Of Country Music Awards - Backstage
Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire in Las Vegas in April 2018. Jeff Kravitz/ACMA2018/FilmMagic for ACM

"I pray that everybody gives them the encouragement that they can because they need it right now, both of them," added the Reba star. "I love them both with all my heart."

Clarkson later spoke about McEntire during a June 2023 interview on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, telling the host their relationship has "not at all" been impacted by the divorce.

"We text each other all the time," Clarkson said of McEntire, noting that they were "both women of sound mind that know that life doesn't work out sometimes."

Related Articles