Michelle and Barack Obama were supposed to meet Rob and Michele Reiner on the night they were killed, the former first lady has revealed.
The film director, 78, and his wife, 68, were found dead at their home in Los Angeles on Sunday. Investigators said the couple suffered stab wounds – and their 32-year-old son Nick Reiner, who struggled with substance abuse, was arrested on suspicion of murder.
After news of Reiner’s death broke, former President Obama, 64, took to X to share a heartfelt tribute on behalf of himself and his wife. He wrote, “Michelle and I are heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele.
“Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people – and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action.
“Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose. They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired. We send our deepest condolences to all who loved them.”
Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead at their home in LA on Sunday(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Last night, Michelle, 61, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and revealed that she and her husband had planned to meet the Reiners on Sunday night – and said the Obamas were “heartbroken” by the couple’s passing. “We were supposed to be seeing them that night – last night,” she told TV host Jimmy.
“We’ve known them for many, many years,” the former first lady added. Michelle also addressed Donald Trump’s bizarre statements about Reiner’s death, as he described the late film director, who was a vocal critic of the president, as “deranged, tortured and struggling” in a post on Truth Social.
Trump wrote, “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.
Michelle Obama spoke about their deaths(Image: Jimmy Kimmel Live/Youtube)
“He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace!”
Hitting back at Trump’s comments, Michelle said on Jimmy’s late night show, “Let me just say this: Unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know. They are not deranged or crazed.
“What they have always been are passionate people who – in a time when there’s not a lot of courage going on – they were the kind of people who were ready to put their actions behind what they cared about. And they cared about their family. And they cared about this country. And they cared about fairness and equity. And that is the truth. I DO know them.”
Donald Trump has been criticized for his comments on Truth Social(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Jimmy also addressed Trump’s social media post as he opened his show last night, saying, “You know, I have to say this is the kind of weekend that makes you wonder if things will ever feel good again. What we need in a time like this, besides common sense when it comes to guns and mental healthcare, is compassion and leadership.
“We did not get that from our president because he has none of it to give. Instead we got a fool rambling about nonsense, we got a brief moment of respect for our friends in Australia, we got a brief moment of condolence followed by a ‘thing happened’ for the students at Brown and for Rob and Michele Reiner.”
Trump has received widespread backlash for his comments, including from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican whom Trump branded a “traitor” for disagreeing with him, who said, “Rob Reiner and his wife were tragically killed at the hands of their own son, who reportedly had drug addiction and other issues, and their remaining children are left in serious mourning and heartbreak.
Jimmy Kimmel was among those who criticized Trump(Image: ABC)
“This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies. Many families deal with a family member with drug addiction and mental health issues. It’s incredibly difficult and should be met with empathy especially when it ends in murder.”
Trump was also criticized by Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky who posted on X that regardless of how one felt about Reiner, “this is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered.” Rep. Mike Lawler of New York said of Trump’s post, “This statement is wrong. Regardless of one’s political views, no one should be subjected to violence, let alone at the hands of their own son. It’s a horrible tragedy that should engender sympathy and compassion from everyone in our country, period.”
Reiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and 90s, including This is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride. His role as Meathead in Norman Lear’s 1970s TV classic All in the Family, alongside Carol O’Connor’s Archie Bunker, catapulted him to fame and won him two Emmy Awards.
The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was married to photographer Michele Singer Reiner since 1989. The two met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally and had three children together: Nick, Jake and Romy.