The Death of Rob Reiner

The death of actor-director Reiner, known as ‘Meathead’ to millions, sent shockwaves through Hollywood and beyond.

The bodies of 78-year-old Rob Reiner and his 68-year-old wife, Michele, were discovered in their Brentwood, CA, home on Sunday, Dec. 14. The couple had been stabbed to death. Only a few hours following the discovery, their son Nick Reiner was taken into custody and is being held without bail in the Los Angeles County jail. The timeline so far suggests that Nick was seen arguing with his parents at a party before the deaths occurred.

Rob Reiner was well-known as a director, actor, and political activist. His movies — such as A Few Good Men and When Harry Met Sally — are iconic films of the late 20th century. Nick, 32, had a checkered past that included bouts of drug addiction. Reiner and Nick worked together on a 2015 film, Being Charlie, which was inspired in part by Nick’s real-life story, although the movie never made it at the box office.

Nick is the third generation of Reiners involved in the entertainment business. Rob’s father, Carl, was a well-respected comedian and is credited with creating the famed Dick Van Dyke Show. Rob became a household name as “Meathead,” the son of Archie Bunker on the wildly popular TV sitcom All in the Family.

Rob Reiner transitioned from TV to the big screen early in his career and founded Castle Rock Entertainment, a film and television production company, which is a major Hollywood player.

Rob Reiner — Outspoken Political Activist

Reiner was a high-profile Democrat and progressive political activist. Tinseltown’s industry magazine Variety quoted him as saying, “I came into this business to express myself and tell stories, not just churn out a product.” A vociferous opponent of President Donald Trump, Reiner kept himself in good standing with the Democratic Party by supporting its candidates, fundraising, and, according to Variety, even toying with a run for governor of California in 2006:

“Reiner’s box office track record began to cool in the late ‘90s, as the writer-director increasingly pursued less commercial, more political subject matter, from the ‘60s civil rights movement (‘Ghosts of Mississippi,’ 1996) to the political career of Lyndon Johnson (‘LBJ,’ 2016) and the 2003 Gulf War (‘Shock and Awe,’ 2017).”

Rob Reiner wasn’t shy about his politics: He favored a cigarette tax in California of 50 cents per pack, with the money going to prenatal care and preschool programs for children. He also opposed Proposition 8 in California, which banned same-sex marriage.

As his Hollywood career began to ebb, his involvement in politics grew in significance. In 2019, Reiner told Variety that Trump was “mentally unfit” to be president. “Donald Trump is the single most unqualified human being ever to assume the presidency of the United States. He is mentally unfit. Not only does he not understand how government works, he has no interest in trying to find out how it works,” Reiner observed.

For his part, the president sent out a message on Truth Social commenting on the deaths of Reiner and his wife: “A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS.”

Reiner’s Hollywood legacy will unquestionably be entwined with his outspoken political views. Many conservatives claim they have to separate themselves from an artist’s creation and his or her politics. This sad ending to Rob Reiner will undoubtedly fall into that category.