The Voice Coach and host of the Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting got enthusiastic about showing off her former hobby.

The Happy’s Place star joined Jimmy Fallon for an interview on The Tonight Show on Tuesday, December 2, right after NBA on NBC. Fallon kicked off the interview with a picture of McEntire from her basketball-playing days back in Oklahoma.

“I was from a very small school,” McEntire, who’s lighting the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree for 2025, shared. “And I got to play because we didn’t have that many girls taking basketball!”

She played from fifth grade to twelfth grade, but she laughed when Fallon asked if she thought she could turn that particular sport into a career.

“Oh, I wanted to be a world champion barrel racer in the rodeo,” she revealed, and hopped out of her seat to demonstrate. Fallon looked noticeably startled, but she was just grabbing some mugs to act as barrels.

“I thought you were gonna stand on my desk,” he said, looking relieved.

Reba McEntire was discovered at a rodeo in 1974

McEntire’s barrel racing career ended when she sang the national anthem at the “world series of rodeo” in Oklahoma City in 1974. Country singer Red Steagall heard her sing, and he helped launch her singing career.

“He thought I might have some promising qualities in my voice, so he took me to Nashville,” she told Fallon. “Eleven months later, I had a recording contract.”

Reba McEntire appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Season 13 Episode 36.

Photo: Todd Owyoung/NBC

“And all the rodeo cowgirls were so disappointed, because I was a contributor,” she continued. “I didn’t win. They liked to see me coming to the rodeo because they could always take my money ’cause I wasn’t that good. But I wanted to be.”

Reba McEntire hosts NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center special on December 3

Her newest gig is as host of Christmas in Rockefeller Center, a two-hour special that ends with the lighting of the famous Rockefeller Center tree. She’s also performing alongside stars like Marc Anthony, Halle Bailey, Michael Bublé, Kristin Chenoweth, Laufey, New Edition, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Gwen Stefani, and the Radio City Rockettes.

She told Fallon that this is the first time she’s ever been in New York City in December, and while she’s loving the decorations and the vibes, she’s more concerned about how she’s supposed to turn the tree lights on.

“Nobody’s been able to tell me. Do you know if I pull a lever?” she asked. “Do I hit a button? Is it a big red button that you hit?”

Not every show needs a big red button, Reba! But if she really needs one, Fallon promised he’d figure it out.