Who Plays Reba’s Daughter, Gracie, on Happy’s Place?
This is why the actress looks so familiar.
In real life, Happy's Place star Reba McEntire is the proud mom of one son, race car driver Shelby Blackstock. But on screen, her character Bobbie has a daughter. Get to know Emma Kenney, who plays Bobbie's daughter Gracie, here.
Emma Kenney plays Gracie on Happy's Place
In the first episode of Happy's Place, bar and restaurant proprietor Bobbie (McEntire) meets the half-sister she never knew existed: Isabella (Belissa Escobedo). Their late father left the business to them jointly, so for better or worse, they're in each other's lives now. But Isabella isn't the only young woman Bobbie's gotta deal with...
In Season 1, Episode 10 ("The MacAllister Girls"), audiences met Bobbie's daughter Gracie, played by Emma Kenney. Gracie's been stationed at a military base in Qatar, but a visit home to meet her new aunt prompts a much-needed heart-to-heart with her mom.
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“Stepping onto the Happy’s Place set at Universal was so welcoming. Everybody was so kind and wanted to make sure I was comfortable and felt I had everything I needed, and I was really lucky for that. I’m not used to going to a set as the newbie coming onto an already established cast. So I was a little nervous going into it, but as soon as I met everyone, my nerves were really made at ease,” Kenney told TV Insider of her guest appearance.
In the episode, Bobbie and Gracie open up about the shared grief of losing their husband and father, respectively. “[That] scene I felt was so beautiful on camera with Reba and an emotional one. It was one of the first scenes I shot that week with her, and it was rewarding,” Kenney explained, adding, “I felt starting with that scene gave me a stronger point of view on my character, especially after doing it with Reba versus just preparing it on paper with my acting coach.”
Where you've seen Emma Kenney before
Kenney is a true television veteran. She played Debbie Gallagher for a decade on Shameless, appearing in 134 episodes, then made the jump to sitcoms with her role at Harris Conner-Healy in 106 episodes of The Conners.
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She's also a founder/director of Yogi's House, a Los Angeles-based rescue and foster organization for dogs.
Watch Happy's Place on Fridays at 8/7c on NBC. Episodes stream next day on Peacock.
