Reba McEntire Gushes Over Her Love of Aretha Franklin, Sings ‘Respect’ With Jennifer Hudson

Like Jennifer Hudson, country icon Reba McEntire counts herself as a major Aretha Franklin fan — so much so, that the 68-year-old gushed over how much she loves Franklin during the Tuesday (March 28) episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show.

“You covered Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ in 1980?,” Hudson asked the country star, who sang Franklin’s signature hit at the 1988 CMA Awards. “How did that come about?”

McEntire said the answer was simple, “I like the song. I love the song, I love Aretha.” The three-time Grammy winner also shared an anecdote about an encounter she had with the late Queen of Soul. “I got to meet her, she scared me to death, I wouldn’t even go up to talk to her,” McEntire said, with the American Idol alum adding, “Yeah that scared me too… I got to meet her in Washington, D.C. at Christmas in Washington, and she’s just amazing.”

The pair then paid tribute to their love and respect for Aretha in the most appropriate way — by covering Franklin’s signature 1967 single, “Respect.”

“What you want, baby, I got it/ What you need, do you know I got it?/ All I want you to do for me, is show me some respect when you get home/ Hey, baby/ Give it to me/ Hey baby,” McEntire kicked off the track, with Hudson providing an assist with some ad libbed vocals backgrounds.

Hudson then hopped on the second verse with ease — unsurprisingly, considering she played Franklin in the 2021 biopic, Respect. “I ain’t gon’ do you wrong while you’re gone/ Ain’t gon’ do you wrong ’cause I don’t wanna/ All I’m askin’ is for a little respect when you come home/ Baby/ When you get home/ Yeah,” she sang.

Watch McEntire and Hudson duet “Respect” in the video above.

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