When I first learned about the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, on Sunday night, I was shocked. First, the news was that two people matching the ages of Reiner and his wife were found stabbed in their home. Even though it wasn’t officially confirmed at first, it was obvious that they’d been killed, and that was hard to process.
Even more shocking was the revelation that they were murdered by their own son, Nick Reiner, who is now in custody on $4 million bail. I have written plenty of posts mocking and criticizing Reiner over his politics, but he was still a human being, whose cultural impact, even on me, is significant.
My first introduction to Reiner was actually from watching All in the Family, where Reiner played Mike Stivic, the liberal son-in-law of Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O’Connor. I used to watch the show as a kid, well before I understood all the political commentary.
There are many movies he was involved in—either as a producer, director, writer, or actor—that I love or enjoy. The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, The American President, The Bucket List, and Stand By Me. He has a small but memorable role in Primary Colors, an uncredited role in The Jerk. Many people would also point to This Is Spinal Tap, but I only saw it for the first time several months ago.
On top of that, Reiner's production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, produced my all-time favorite sitcom, “Seinfeld,” and Castle Rock’s backing in the early years likely helped keep the show alive before it caught on as a hit and ultimately became one of the most successful in history.
The details of what happened are horrifying. Their daughter Romy found Rob, 78, and Michele, 68, with their throats slashed around 3:30 p.m. Sunday and told cops that she believed a family member might be responsible. Nick Reiner, 32, has faced ongoing struggles with drug dependency and has spent considerable time in rehab. Nick was taken into custody on Sunday night.
In the end, I can despise his politics and still recognize that he had a positive influence on the entertainment industry. Which leads me to the part I was really dreading writing about: President Donald Trump's reaction to the news on Truth Social.
I figured it was inevitable that Trump would address the tragedy, and sadly, everything I was worrying about turned out to be true.
"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,” he began.
So far so good, but he continued, “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. 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.”
I’ve said plenty of times that Trump is in own worst enemy most of the time, and this is a spectacular example. He didn’t have to make it about himself, but he did.
Despite years of criticizing Reiner over his politics, particularly his Trump Derangement Syndrome, I can still recognize his positive contributions and acknowledge the fact that it's horrifying that he died this way. Two people lost their lives in an unimaginably brutal fashion at the hands of their own son. Whatever our political differences, that's a tragedy that transcends partisan divides. Reiner left behind a legacy in entertainment that affected millions of people, including me, and the circumstances of his death make it all the more heartbreaking.
