Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson sharing the same stage needs no explanation– it’s bound to be a great performance.
And that’s exactly the case with this 2007 ACM throwback, where the two female powerhouses teamed up for a vocally unmatched duet of Clarkson’s 2005 single, “Because of You.” Now, for those who aren’t highly obsessed with celebrity family trees, it may come as a shock that these two ladies actually share much more than just impeccable voices.
While they may not technically be blood-related, Reba was actually Clarkson’s mother-in-law for almost ten years. Back in 1989, Reba married her manager and guitarist Narvel Blackstock, making her the newfound step-mother to his three children, including Clarkson’s eventual husband, Brandon Blackstock.
Clarkson joined the family in 2013, having two children together before ultimately filing for divorce in 2020 and finalizing the split in 2022. Tragically, her ex-husband and Reba’s step-son passed away a few years later in 2025.
However, way back when, before any of this lore came about, the two icons gifted the 42nd Academy of Country Music awards in this incredible, now almost 20-year-old performance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Insanely, Clarkson wrote the track from her sophomore album when she was just 16 years old, inspired by the pain of her own parents’ divorce.
Now certified platinum by the RIAA, peaking at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and garnering over 862 million streams on Spotify alone, the ballad must’ve stood out to Reba, who partnered up with Clarkson earlier in the year for their January 2007 release of the track on her Reba Duets album. Showcasing the song for the first time on-air, Reba led the first few verses of the live rendition, with Clarkson joining in at the chorus. Given the two’s powerful belting melodies, it was a no-brainer that they received a standing ovation from the Vegas crowd.
Obviously, throughout the years, as the ladies started to spend more Thanksgivings together, they also took the stage a few more times side by side for a few duets of “Fancy,” “Does He Love You,” and “Why Haven’t I Heard From You?”
With this year’s 61st ACM awards just a few days away on Sunday, May 17, featuring anticipated performances from Ella Langley, Parker McCollum with Lee Ann Womack, Zach Top, Red Clay Strays, and more, check out some of these ladies’ standout performances below in the meantime.