Yes, Reba McEntire Was Really Wearing That Exact Same Red Dress at the 2018 ACM Awards
In addition to her 2018 ACMs hosting duties, Reba McEntire took the stage to perform a contribution to the "ACM Flashbacks" series this year, revisiting her 1993 hit, "Does He Love You," in a duet with Kelly Clarkson. Although the plan was for the songs to be the only blast from the past, McEntire did the audience one better on Sunday evening: The country singer appeared onstage in the same red dress that she wore in 1993 to perform the duet at the CMA Awards onstage with her former singing partner, Linda Davis.
The first time she wore the dress, McEntire shocked the audience with its plunging neckline, provoking a lasting CMAs controversy that launched the dress into country music history. However, when the dress returned this Sunday night, audiences seemed too captivated by McEntire's stunning look -- and powerhouse vocal chops in her performance with Kelly Clarkson -- to care much about the outfit's neckline.
McEntire told ET backstage at the ceremony that she hadn't told the dress' designer, Sandi Spika, about her plans to wear it onstage at the ACMs. "I didn't tell Sandi I was going to bring it back and wear it tonight. I saw her reaction, I saw her in the audience, she was crying," McEntire explains.
"It fit, really pleased," the country icon adds.
Clarkson, McEntire's daughter-in-law and duet partner for the evening, chimed in to say how much she loved McEntire's decision to rock the ensemble for their throwback performance. "I was telling my husband, my team that's with me today, no matter how long I've known her, no matter that we're even family now, it's still [that] 10-year-old kid that gets giddy," she goes on to say. "And especially, she came out in that dress. It's like, 'Oh, okay.' Rocking that dress, I can't," the singer gushed.
While McEntire turned out to the red carpet in full glamor, she also prioritized comfort during press interviews following the ceremony. She posed for pictures in the famous dress -- and matching red, fuzzy slippers; you can see a picture below.
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