Reba McEntire’s Son Shelby Blackstock Expecting First Baby

by

Consider Reba McEntire‘s family even bigger. 

Shelby Blackstock, son of The Voice judge Blake Shelton, and his wife, Marissa, are expecting their first child.

Marissa and Shelby announced on Instagram on April 14th that they’re expecting a baby boy in October! Marissa wrote, “We’re so excited to finally share our little one is on the way! We can’t wait to meet you, pal!” and signed it with “Mommy + Daddy love you!”

I was so thrilled to see the announcement! They shared the sweetest photos – one of them holding up a little onesie, and another of them kissing with the magic of Walt Disney World in the background. Then there was this adorable picture of their sonogram next to a cake decorated with blue Mickey Mouse, and a Mickey hat that said ‘Baby Blackstock’ – it was just the cutest reveal ever!

After the news was released, Shelby—who married the skincare specialist in 2022—thanked everyone for their support.

He shared on Instagram that they’re thrilled to announce some wonderful family news, and expressed his gratitude for all the support they’ve received.

Marissa previously opened up about her experience with IVF earlier this year. Although their first attempt wasn’t successful, she shared that she and her partner remained optimistic about the future.

We had a positive pregnancy test for a few days, which was encouraging, but sadly it turned out to be a chemical pregnancy, meaning the pregnancy didn’t develop. We’re disappointed, but we’re trying again with our second attempt.

I’m feeling optimistic heading into this, because my body responded well last time, even if the effects didn’t last. I know I’m capable, so we’re excited and hopeful, but we’re also trying not to get too stressed – anything could happen.

And she was sure to thank her supporters amid the couple’s fertility journey.

She shared that the incredible amount of love, kind messages, prayers, and support from her friends and community has been deeply moving. While she wishes she could thank everyone individually, she wants people to know they truly feel the support and are incredibly grateful. She acknowledged that dealing with infertility is challenging, but this outpouring of kindness makes them feel less alone.

Marissa has openly discussed her struggles with getting pregnant, and she’s not alone. Here are other celebrities who have also shared their personal experiences with fertility.

The star of Duck Dynasty and her husband, Jacob Mayo, have been sharing their experiences with fertility challenges on their family’s new reality show, and they’ve explained why it’s important to them to be open about it.

In a May 2025 interview with Us Weekly, Bella and Jacob revealed they’ve been dealing with infertility, something they hadn’t previously discussed publicly. Bella explained that it’s easy to assume everyone else has a perfect life when you only see them on social media, but you never truly know what someone is going through.

They felt it was a good fit, and it let them be genuine and true to themselves on the new show.

Before she and Christian McCaffrey announced they were expecting a child, the former Miss Universe had spoken about how her endometriosis might make it difficult to get pregnant.

Olivia Culpo revealed on her show, The Culpo Sisters, that she wants to have children but is concerned about her ability to do so. She was diagnosed with a medical condition in 2020 and underwent surgery, and she explained that it might be difficult for her to get pregnant.

Endometriosis can impact fertility in several ways. It can cause tissue to grow near or on the ovaries, potentially lowering egg quality and even blocking the fallopian tubes with scar tissue, she explained.

Caelynn, known from Bachelor Nation, recently opened up about the challenges she and her husband, Dean Bell, have faced trying to have a baby since they got married in 2023.

In a YouTube video from March 2025, Caelynn shared that she was taking a more relaxed approach. ‘It’s tough,’ she said, ‘but I’m not putting as much pressure on myself as I did when I first started trying.’

Even though it’s been a difficult time emotionally, Caelynn is staying optimistic while she and her husband undergo medical tests to understand what’s happening with their health.

Since June 2024, Jelly Roll’s wife has been openly sharing her experiences with in vitro fertilization (IVF).

She explained on Instagram that they originally intended to keep their IVF process private, but they changed their minds because they’ve always valued openness and honesty.

She’s been openly sharing the ups and downs, anxieties, and feelings surrounding her medical journey on her podcast, Dumb Blonde.

Despite the challenges, though, she is open to other options to grow her family.

She admitted it was difficult, but explained she was leaving the outcome up to fate. She said, ‘If it’s supposed to happen, it will. And if not, we’re open to adoption.’ This comment was made on her podcast in November 2025.

 

The cohost of Dancing With the Stars has publicly discussed her challenges with endometriosis, a condition affecting women’s reproductive health. She’s also been taking steps to protect her ability to have children when she decides she’s ready.

In June 2025, she shared that she froze her eggs for the third time.

Oh my gosh, I’ve been following Heidi Montag’s story for years, and it just breaks my heart! Since having little Sonny with Tim Rosenman back in 2017 – he’s SO cute! – she’s been so open about everything. She’s talked about how hard it was trying for a baby, and honestly, it’s been really emotional to hear about the two times she lost pregnancies, and then even her surrogate had two miscarriages. It’s just… a lot, and I admire her so much for sharing it all.

In July 2024, Whitney confirmed she’s preparing for a second egg retrieval. 

I’m feeling much better than before, because I have a better understanding of what to expect this time around, and I really trust my doctor’s guidance.

Whitney has consistently expressed that her family feels complete with three members, regardless of whether or not they decide to have another child.

In a recent birthday post for her son, who turned seven in July 2024, she shared how much joy he brings to their family. She emphasized that they feel complete as a family, regardless of what happens with their plans to have another child, and expressed their gratitude for his easygoing personality and watching him grow up.

Michelle Yeoh, known for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, has spoken about the difficulties she faced when trying to get pregnant with her first husband, Dickson Poon. She married Jean Todt in 2023 after being engaged for 19 years.

Michelle recently revealed in a podcast interview that she always dreamed of having children and underwent fertility treatments to try and make it happen. She described the monthly emotional toll of those treatments as incredibly difficult, saying it felt like a failure each time.

She explained that eventually, you need to stop blaming yourself. Sometimes, our bodies just don’t work the way we expect, and that’s okay. You have to accept it and keep moving forward.

The rapper, who has a son named Wilde with her husband Maximillion Cooper, previously revealed she suffered a devastating pregnancy loss caused by an ectopic pregnancy while working on her show, Eve.

In her memoir, Who’s That Girl?, Eve revealed that she found out she was pregnant in 2006. She needed emergency surgery, which meant taking a two-week break from filming. Looking back, she wasn’t sure why she told everyone on set she had a burst appendix, admitting she might have been deceiving herself about the situation.

She explained that if she lost her baby, she wasn’t sure two weeks would be enough time to recover emotionally. Ultimately, even that short time wasn’t quite enough for her body to heal physically before she had to return to work. The surgery had left her very weak and she’d lost a lot of weight.

Selling Sunset star Maya Vander has openly discussed the challenges she and her husband, Romain Bonnet, faced while trying to have a baby. She was just 15 years old when she gave birth to her son, Austin.

In September 2024, she told TopMob News that she wasn’t sure how things would turn out and was just dealing with things as they happened. She explained that she’s been very busy with her book and the current season, and she believes nothing will progress if she’s stressed or overwhelmed.

Mary shared that she had surgery to correct a condition where her uterus was divided by a membrane. She and Romain aren’t in a hurry to make any big life changes and are content enjoying life with their dog.

The real estate agent also mentioned their pet, Thor, saying their son, Romaine, absolutely adores him. Even if the sale doesn’t go through, Romaine is content because he has Thor, and they’ll be alright. They believe everything happens for a reason.

NFL broadcaster Erin Andrews and her husband, Jarret Stoll, became parents to their son, Mack, in July 2023. Their path to parenthood hasn’t always been easy, as they previously faced a challenge when Erin was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2017.

After freezing her eggs as a precaution before fighting cancer, she was able to have a child through IVF and chose to publicly document her journey.

She explained that she was simply exhausted from staying silent, and that sharing her experiences in a 2021 essay felt necessary. She described a difficult and painful process, admitting she often felt emotionally detached. It felt like an unfair and relentless cycle, mostly bringing bad news.

She explained that she’s comfortable speaking openly and honestly about how difficult it was, and that she understands many couples and families going through the same struggle with trying to have a child.

Read More

2026-04-16 16:18