The deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, hit especially close to home for Michelle Obama. The former first lady revealed that she and husband Barack Obama had plans with the couple the very day they were killed.
During a Monday, December 15 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the former first lady revealed that she and her husband had plans with the couple the same day they were killed.
“We’ve known them for many, many years, and we were supposed to be seeing them that night — last night — and we got the news,” Michelle, 61, said.
Rob, 78, and Michele, 68, were found dead inside their Brentwood, Los Angeles home on Sunday, December 14. The Los Angeles Police Department said the couple were discovered with apparent stab wounds. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been taken into custody with a $4 million bail. The investigation is ongoing.
Michelle also appeared to respond to comments made earlier that day by President Donald Trump, who mocked Rob’s death and described him as a “deranged person” with “Trump derangement syndrome,” referencing the filmmaker’s outspoken opposition to the Trump administration.
“And let me just say this: Unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people,” Michelle said. “They are not deranged or crazed. What they have always been are passionate people. 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.”
Barack also shared a statement honoring the late filmmaker and his wife.
“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,” he wrote via X. “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.”
Rob and Michele shared three children, sons Jake, 34, and Nick, 32, and daughter Romy, 27. Rob also had an adopted daughter, Tracy, 61, from his first marriage to filmmaker Penny Marshall.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” a family spokesman said in a statement on Sunday. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
