Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home, and their son has been arrested as a suspect. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social suggesting Reiner’s death stemmed from what he called 'Trump Derangement Syndrome,' prompting criticism from some Republicans and tributes from Democrats and Hollywood figures.
Rob Reiner, the 78-year-old director known for films such as The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally, and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home over the weekend. Multiple outlets, including the Guardian and local Los Angeles media, report that police discovered the couple in their Brentwood residence and are investigating the case as a double homicide, with their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, arrested on suspicion of murder and held on $4 million bail.
According to the Daily Wire and other outlets, Reiner and his wife were fatally stabbed. Police and prosecutors have not publicly discussed a motive, and there is no indication that politics played any role in the killings.
The couple’s son, Nick Reiner, has long been public about his struggles with addiction, which inspired Rob Reiner’s 2016 film Being Charlie. That connection has been noted in several profiles and obituaries of the director.
On Monday, President Donald Trump reacted to the news in a post on his Truth Social platform. As reported by the Daily Wire, Newsmax and LAist, 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.”
In the same post, Trump accused Reiner of having a “raging obsession” with him and concluded, “May Rob and Michele rest in peace!” Reuters and other outlets report that in subsequent remarks, Trump again portrayed Reiner as deranged and suggested, without evidence, that the director’s outspoken criticism of his presidency was connected to his death.
The Truth Social post drew swift criticism from some Republicans. The Daily Wire quotes Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky saying on X, formerly Twitter: “Regardless of how you felt about Rob Reiner, this is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered. I guess my elected GOP colleagues, the VP, and White House staff will just ignore it because they’re afraid? I challenge anyone to defend it.” The Guardian and regional outlets have similarly highlighted Massie’s comments.
Other conservatives voiced discomfort or urged restraint. Conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey wrote that Trump’s post about Reiner contrasted sharply with moments when he has responded more compassionately to the deaths of political opponents, while conservative activist Robby Starbuck called the killings a “savage butchering” and urged people to “pray for + send condolences” and “NOT make it political,” according to the Daily Wire.
Some Republicans defended or downplayed Trump’s rhetoric. The Daily Wire reports that Trump ally Alex Bruesewitz wrote on X that he would not join in what he called “fake outrage” over Trump’s response, noting that Reiner had previously called for Trump to be arrested and charged with treason. Other right-wing commentators cited Reiner’s frequent denunciations of Trump, including his describing the former president as “mentally unfit,” “clearly a criminal,” and a threat to democracy in past interviews.
Reiner, the son of the late comedian and director Carl Reiner, was a prominent Democratic supporter and activist. The Los Angeles Times and other outlets have chronicled his advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, his role in California’s First 5 initiative on early childhood development, and his co-founding of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which backed the legal challenge to California’s Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage.
Democrats and entertainment figures paid tribute to Reiner after his death. In a statement shared on X and reported by multiple outlets, former President Barack Obama wrote that Reiner’s achievements in film and television gave audiences “some of our most cherished stories on screen,” and that “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.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, who had long-standing ties to Reiner as a political ally, called the Reiners “dear friends” and said on X that he “loved our country, cared deeply about the future of our nation, and fought for America’s democracy,” according to coverage by KIRO 7 and other outlets.
California Governor Gavin Newsom praised Reiner in a statement carried by the Los Angeles Times and other news organizations, calling him “the big-hearted genius behind so many of the classic stories we love” and noting that “his boundless empathy made his stories timeless.” Newsom also highlighted Reiner’s work as “a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights — from taking on Big Tobacco, fighting for marriage equality, to serving as a powerful voice in early education.”
As law enforcement continues its investigation into the double homicide, tributes from across the political spectrum and the entertainment industry emphasize both Reiner’s impact on American film and television and his decades of political advocacy, even as Trump’s remarks on his death fuel an ongoing debate over the politicization of tragedy and the tone of national discourse.
