Reba McEntire’s son announced on Wednesday that he’s about to become a first-time father.
Shelby Blackstock, whom McEntire shares with her ex-husband Narvel Blackstock, revealed in an Instagram post that he and his wife Marissa were expecting their first child.
‘Oh, BOY! We’re beyond excited to FINALLY announce our little man is coming in October,’ he gushed in the caption, while sharing photos of himself and Marissa beaming at Disney World as they posed in front of Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom.
Shelby shared his happy news just eight months after the death of his half-brother Brandon Blackstock — who was the ex-husband and former manager of Kelly Clarkson — after a years-long battle with skin cancer.
The lovebirds shared a sweet kiss with the castle towering over them and held up a cute Disney-themed onesie with a baby Mickey Mouse embroidered on the front.
It featured their family name, along with the baby’s due date of October 2026.
Reba McEntire’s son announced on Wednesday that he’s about to become a first-time father. Shelby Blackstock, whom McEntire shares with her ex-husband Narvel Blackstock, revealed in an Instagram post that he and his wife Marissa were expecting their first child; Reba and Shelby picturd in 2016 in Nashville
‘Oh, BOY! We’re beyond excited to FINALLY announce our little man is coming in October,’ he gushed in the caption, while sharing photos of himself and Marissa beaming in front of Cinderella’s Castle in Disney World; McEntire is seen with fiancé Rex Linn, Marissa and son Shelby in Nashville in May 2025
‘See ya real soon, pal! Mommy + Daddy love you! 🤘🏻,’ Blackstock signed off in a sweet message to his future son.
He and his wife beamed in another photo as they strolled down the bridge to the castle while holding hands, as Marissa rested her free hand over her burgeoning baby bump.
They shared a loving kiss in another snap taken in the shade of the castle while both held up a corner of their sonogram for the camera, and Shelby stood behind his wife and placed both their hands over her stomach in a subsequent shot.
Another photo in the couple’s Instagram carousel featured a close-up of the onesie laid out on a table, along with a copy of Marissa’s sonogram, a white cake decorated with blue Mickey designs and ‘Oh Boy!’ written on top in white frosting.
Shelby and Marissa had also gotten a custom black Mickey ears hat with ‘Baby Blackstock — October 2026’ printed in gold text on the back.
They had also received a silver-and-lavender Disney-branded sippy cup with text on the side reading, ‘Made with love and pixie dust.’
Next to it was a handwritten note that read, ‘Congratulations on your new addition! Wishing you all the best in your next chapter as parents!’
Disney World holds special significance for McEntire’s son, as he and Marissa tied the knot at Disney World in 2022.
Blackstock revealed a custom embroidered Mickey ears hat and a Disney-branded sippy cut commemorating his son’s upcoming birth; pictured with McEntire in 2011 in Nashville
Disney World holds special significance for McEntire’s son, as he and Marissa tied the knot at Disney World in 2022. The ceremony was attended by his mother, her fiancé Linn and Shelby’s late half-brother, Brandon Blackstock (center)
Shelby and his wife’s baby news has been in the works for months, as Marissa revealed in an Instagram video from January that she was starting a second round of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments at the time.
‘Thank you all for your love and support during our IVF journey. It has been four years in the making,’ Marissa, who works as a licensed esthetician–turned–influencer, said in her video.
She noted that the first round of treatments ended in disappointment, though she tried to stay optimistic because the couple did get a positive result in the process.
However, she said it ultimately appeared to be a ‘chemical pregnancy,’ which occurs when an embryo forms but then is miscarried within the first five weeks of pregnancy.
Shelby and Marissa’s baby will mark the first official grandchild for his mother Reba, though her late stepson Brandon shared two children with his ex-wife Kelly Clarkson — 11-year-old daughter River Rose Blackstock and 10-year-old son Remington Alexander Blackstock — as well as two older children — daughter Savannah and son Seth — from his earlier marriage to Melissa Ashworth.
Shelby and his future wife connected via the dating app Tinder back in 2014, but it was only two years later that they actually started dating.
While speaking to People in 2022, they described the ‘Tinderella story’ that finally brought them together.
‘We made fast friends early on and have had a strong bond ever since. We are twin flames. There’s this indescribable feeling of déjà vu when we are together — as if life is reminding us that we’re following our destiny,’ they told the publication. ‘In retrospect, our mutual friends could see how compatible we are.
The couple met in 2014 on Tinder, but didn’t start dating until two years later, according to People; (L–R) McEntire, Shelby, Shane Tarleton and Marissa are pictured in Nashville in May 2024
Shelby and Marissa added that they ‘were they only ones who didn’t it (at the time).’
But they added that the ‘love was always there’ between them.
‘We just didn’t understand it until we were both in the right headspace and had the maturity to recognize it,’ they explained. ‘We both agree that if we had dated immediately upon meeting, we likely would not be as prepared as we are now to deserve one another.’
Prior to settling down, Shelby worked as a race car driver before becoming CEO of the clothing brand Hartland.
