McEntire, who was a guest on Hudson’s talk show on May 2, also spoke about why she thinks the song resonates with so many people

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Reba McEntire (left) and Jennifer Hudson sing a duet of ‘I Am a Survivor’
Reba McEntire and Jennifer Hudson put the power in the power ballad!

The country music icon, 69, stopped by Hudson’s talk show on Thursday, May 2, and the two performed a surprise duet of “I’m a Survivor,” the iconic theme song for McEntire’s long-running sitcom Reba.

The pair were chatting about how it’s been nearly two decades since the show ended — which McEntire joked “seems like a few years sometimes and 100 years other times” — when Hudson asked why she thinks so many people love the theme song.

“I think the reason why so many people can connect with the song ‘I’m a Survivor’ is because it’s relatable. I know you find the same thing in the songs you sing,” McEntire replied. “If people can relate to it, they can connect to it. And I’m a survivor — I mean, a woman who is working hard doing two jobs and raising kids.”

Hudson was quick to count herself among the song’s many fans. “Yes ma’am! It says it all. Yes, it does. You know that just touched my spirit, right, Reba?” she said, before pointing out keyboardist Wayne Linsey waiting in the wings.

“We got Wayne Linsey on the keys — and you know what that means. You know I can’t have you here … can we at least sing a little bit of it ’cause that way I get to have a little musical moment with you?” the TV host asked McEntire, who gamely picked up two microphones from the table and handed one to Hudson.

As the two prepared to sing, Hudson excitedly exclaimed, “I get to sing with Reba, y’all!” The women then belted out a short but moving snippet of the song as the audience clapped and cheered.

Chris Haston / Warner Bros.

Reba McEntire and Jennifer Hudson.
McEntire also spoke to Hudson about a possible return to TV with a brand new sitcom. “It’s called Happy’s Place, and we’ve shot the pilot on NBC and we’re just waiting patiently, sorta, if they’re going to take it to series or not,” she said of the project. “So fingers crossed, everybody! Pretty please!”

The sitcom will follow Bobbie (McEntire) as she inherits her father’s restaurant but is dismayed to discover she has a new business partner in the half-sister (Belissa Escobedo) she never knew she had, according to a release from NBC. The show will see McEntire once again sharing the screen with her former Reba costar Melissa Peterman, who will play Gabby, the restaurant’s bartender.

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Reba McEntire at the 2019 ACM Awards.
McEntire also teased new music on the way during her appearance on Hudson’s show. “It’s gonna be a new album coming out soon, but we’ve got a new single that we’ll be performing at the ACMs,” the “Only in My Mind” singer shared of the May 16 awards ceremony, which she is hosting.

Just days before her duet with Hudson, McEntire made a surprise appearance at Stagecoach on April 27 and performed alongside Miranda Lambert during her headlining set. As fireworks flew and flames burst into the air, the duo sang McEntire’s “Fancy” and Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart” and “Gunpowder & Lead” hits.

A day after the performance, Lambert, 40, gave McEntire a shout-out in a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), reflecting on the moment. “@Reba at @stagecoach y’all. 🤯🤩Thank you to my hero and friend for coming out here as my special guest,” she wrote. “I’ll never forget it. She brought all the fire 🔥.”