Reba McEntire‘s son Shelby Blackstock and his wife, Marissa, have welcomed their first baby.
“After everything it took to get here, we finally get to call ourselves mom and dad,” Shelby, 36, announced via his Instagram Story on Wednesday, October 21. “We’ve been taking these first few weeks just for us, and there’s nowhere else we’d rather be.”
The race car driver shared a heartwarming photo of himself cradling his newborn son, whose name is Shelby Archer “Archie” McEntire Blackstock. A video clip also shared via Shelby’s Instagram story showed the baby wearing a sleep mask and sucking on a pacifier in his bassinet.
“He had a rough first week but at least he had the look down,” his dad joked in a caption for the video.
The couple announced in April that they were expecting their first baby, sharing several photos of themselves celebrating at Walt Disney World in Florida.
“Oh, BOY! We’re beyond excited to FINALLY announce our little man is coming in October. See ya real soon, pal! Mommy + Daddy love you,” the couple wrote via a joint Instagram post at the time.
Marissa and Shelby previously tied the knot at Disney World in April 2022, having originally connected eight years earlier via Tinder. The newlyweds told People that the theme park was an appropriate place for their nuptials since they viewed their romance as a “Tinderella story.”
“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 said in 2022. “In retrospect, our mutual friends could see how compatible we are. They would always recommend that we should date; I think we were the only ones who didn’t see it (at the time).”
Marissa and Shelby continued, “The love was always there; we just didn’t understand it until we were both in the right headspace and had the maturity to recognize it. 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.”
Shelby is Reba’s only biological child, whom she welcomed with ex-husband Narvel Blackstock. The country music icon is also a stepmom to Narvel’s three children from a previous relationship: Shawna, Chassidy and the late Brandon. (Reba is engaged to her longtime partner Rex Linn.)
Brandon died at age 48 in August 2025 following a private battle with cancer. He shared two grown children — Savannah and Seth — with ex-wife Melissa Ashworth and welcomed two younger kids — River and Remy — with his second ex Kelly Clarkson.
In August, Shelby penned a poignant Instagram tribute to mark the first anniversary of his half-brother Brandon’s death.
“It’s been one year since we lost you … a void that can never be filled,” he wrote on August 7. “It still doesn’t feel real. Sometimes it feels like we’re all just busy and overdue for a catch-up call. Then reality hits all over again. It’s a painful reminder every single day.”
Referring to his own impending fatherhood, Shelby added, “A lot has happened this past year. As I’m getting ready to welcome my first son into the world, I’ve found myself thinking about what shaped me growing up. It truly took an army, but somehow it always came back to you. You welcomed me as a new little brother, helped raise me, and, more than anything, gave me an outrageous amount of confidence in myself.”
“That confidence became the foundation for believing I could accomplish anything in life. It’s one of the greatest gifts anyone has ever given me,” he concluded. “I wish you could have met [my son] Archer. But in a way, I like to think you already have.”
