Christopher Rich Reveals He’s ‘Besties’ with Reba McEntire’s Boyfriend (Exclusive)

Christopher Rich is proud to call Rex Linn his “bestie.”

Ahead of his Friday, Feb. 21 guest appearance on Reba McEntire’s NBC comedy Happy’s Place —where the Reba alum reunited with his former costars McEntire, 69, and Melissa Peterman — the veteran actor spoke with PEOPLE about just how close the cast of The WB series remains. According to Rich, 71, that closeness even extends to the cast’s significant others.

While sharing that he thinks of McEntire as a “sister,” he also revealed that he’s close to her boyfriend and Happy’s Place costar, Linn.

“Her present boyfriend, Rex Linn, is one of my besties,” he tells PEOPLE, adding that the chance to hang out on set with not only McEntire and Peterman but also Linn was a joy.

Rich says, “It’s glorious to me where life has brought us all to be honest. It’s really fabulous. I’m so happy that she’s happy, and she’s happy that we got to spend time together. And Rex is happy and I’m happy for Rex … it’s just a joyous time.”

Linn, 68, and McEntire met on the set of Kenny Rogers’ film The Gambler in 1991, but the two didn’t begin dating until they reconnected in 2020. According to McEntire, the pair hit it off when the country star was eager to order tater tots at a wine bar during a group outing.

During a March 2023 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, McEntire shared that her fondness for tots earned her a new nickname — and kicked off her relationship with the CSI: Miami alum. “Rex said, ‘That’s your nickname from here on out — Tater Tot,'” she explained, before adding that she calls Linn by the nickname “Sugar Tot.”

McEntire continued: “We’re the tots — sugar and tater. We’ve been together ever since. He’s a sweetheart.”

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Thanks to his relationship with McEntire, Linn is now a member of the extended Reba family, an honor that he shares with Rich’s wife, Eva Halina Rich, and JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s husband, Nick Swisher.

Rich tells PEOPLE that he thinks of Garcia Swisher, who played his TV daughter Cheyenne on Reba, as one of his own daughters offscreen as well.

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“JoAnna Garcia is like a daughter to me for real,” he says. “I married JoAnna and her husband, Nick Swisher, I was the officiant.”

Spoken like a true (TV) dad, Rich adds, “They are like my kids. I love them so much.”

Happy’s Place airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and can be streamed on Peacock the next day. Additionally, Reba can be streamed in full on Netflix.