Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks go way back — they've toured together, played the same festivals and even rubbed elbows at awards shows — and when Brooks announced he's co-hosting the 2023 ACM Awards with Dolly Parton, he made sure to mention McEntire as one of the country acts who inspire him most.

"When you get to work with Reba McEntire, you just wear out pencils on a notebook, because you take notes, right?" Brooks said at the time, by way of explaining how McEntire, Parton and even his wife Trisha Yearwood are some of the country greats who've taught him the most about how to be a great entertainer.

So when the two acts met for a virtual sit-down on TalkShopLive to discuss her new book, Not That Fancy, on Monday night (April 17) Brooks just had to ask McEntire for some advice about his upcoming hosting gig. The 2023 ACMs will mark the first time Brooks has hosted the show, and the first time he's hosted any major awards show, ever.

"The best tip I can give you is, get out there and have fun," McEntire replied after Brooks asked for some words of wisdom. Sounds simple enough, but the singer went on to say that she'd learned from experience how important it is to set a fun, easygoing tone at awards shows.

"When I was first doing the hosting situations, I would be so uptight and precise, and it was not as much fun for me and therefore it's not as much fun for the audience," she explained. "But when you get out there and cut up and have a good time — which I know you guys will, I can't wait to watch the show — you guys'll have a blast."

The 2023 ACM Awards are set for May 11, and will stream live on Amazon Prime Video. Elsewhere in their conversation, Brooks and McEntire relived some of their experiences of touring together in the '90s, and discussed the contents of McEntire's new book, for which Brooks wrote the foreword.

Reba McEntire Pictures Through the Years:

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