Reba McEntire reveals she’s never been to friend Dolly Parton’s home or met her elusive husband Carl Dean

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: The enigma surrounding Dolly Parton's marriage to Carl Thomas Dean continues, especially after her close friend Reba McEntire recently revealed that she has never met him.

Two powerhouses of country music, these women have shared a friendship spanning decades. Yet, in a recent radio show appearance, McEntire disclosed unexpected and surprising aspects of their friendship.

Reba McEntire reveals she's never been invited to Dolly Parton's house

"Is Dolly as good a cook as Dolly says she is?" radio host Andy Cohen posed a question to his guest, Reba McEntire, on his Sirius XM show 'Andy Cohen Live'.

"I don't know, I've never had her food," McEntire shared. "She's never invited me over," said the singer, adding that she has never actually been inside Parton's home.

"Have you met Carl?" Cohen asked. To this McEntire responded, "No, have you?"

Cohen acknowledged that he had not. "But people really do swear he exists," he said.

McEntire was in complete agreement, "Yeah, I saw something the other day – they were out camping and she and Carl went back to where they got married."

Parton and Dean met each other in 1964 and started dating shortly thereafter. They tied the knot in 1966. While she often discusses their relationship, he is seldom seen in photographs and never appears at public events.

Dolly Parton reveals why husband Carl Thomas Dean prefers staying out of limelight

In an episode of her Apple Music 1 show 'What Would Dolly Do? Radio' last year, Dolly Parton discussed how her husband Carl Thomas Dean preferred to stay out of the public eye.

"Carl has never been in the limelight and all, never wanted to be in it. He don't like it," she stated at that time.

The 'Here You Come Again' star shared insights, "He went to one thing with me early on, when we first married, to a BMI Song of the Year [event], and he came out of there taking off his tuxedo, his tie and all that and said, ‘Don't ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain't going'. I never asked him and he never did."

Parton characterized her husband as "very honest," and elaborated on this by stating, "We have such a great relationship. I know not to ask him if I don't want an honest answer."

Earlier that year, she characterized Dean as a "loner" during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "He's kind of a loner, so he doesn't really like being with anybody but me," she said.

"He's not one to kind of get out there and socialize that much," added Parton. "He loves living on the farm, taking care of the property as he has for all these many years."