Originally appeared on E! Online
Rob Reiner is living on in the hearts of Hollywood’s stars.
At the Critics Choice Awards 2026, host Chelsea Handler took a moment to eulogize the Standby by Me director and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, who were found dead in their homes Dec. 14. (Their son Nick Reiner, 32, has been charged with their murders.)
After the Chelsea Lately alum bestowed Adam Sandler as the “nicest guy in Hollywood,” she quickly amended her take to reflect on how that was actually a superlative Reiner had earned among his peers.
“Anyone who ever spent time with Rob Reiner knows that the minute that you met him, he felt like an old friend,” Handler said during the Jan. 4 ceremony at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. When you were in a conversation with him, he was present, he was focused and he was funny, and he would ask you tons of questions, whether you were discussing politics or film or the latest beauty trends—he was all in.”
READ Meg Ryan Breaks Silence on Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner Deaths
And she experienced that firsthand.
“After I sent him a text thanking him for dinner a few months ago,” she recalled, “he texted me back and said, ‘We had so much fun with you last night. Thanks for explaining so much about plastic surgery. It was very edifying.’”
Handler emphasized how Rob and Michelle “were tireless in their efforts to so many important causes, all stemming from one basic idea decency” noting those values are those we need more of. She added, “So let’s use tonight as a reminder of that decency and as a reminder of everything Rob and Michelle represented and fought so hard for.”
The crowd, which included Adam, Jean Smart and Delroy Lindo were visibly touched by the moment honoring the legendary director, but it is far from the only way he has been honored since the tragedy occurred late last year. Reiner’s family, friends and former colleagues have continued to emphasize the impact he had in his 78 years.
“Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master storyteller,” Reiner‘s longtime friends including Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Albert Brooks and Larry David, wrote in a letter to the Associated Press on Dec. 16. “There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films.”
Similarly, Meg Ryan, who starred in Reiner‘s “When Harry Met Sally” alongside Crystal, also memorialized both Reiner and his wife — who also shared kids Jake Reiner, 34, and Romy Reiner, 28, as well as his daughter Tracy Reiner, 61, from his marriage to Penny Marshall —for their ability to “believe in true love, in fairy tales, and in laughter.”
“Thank you for your faith in the best in people,” Ryan wrote in a Dec. 17 Instagram post, “and for your profound love of our country.”
And when it came to the nature of Rob and Michele’s deaths, the “Sleepless in Seattle” star emphasized she has “to believe that their story will not end with this impossible tragedy.”
“Some good may come, some awareness raised,” Ryan added. “I don’t know, but my guess is that they would want that to be hopeful and humane, to be something that brings us all to a greater understanding of one another and to some peace.”
Nick Reiner appeared for the first time in a Los Angeles courtroom on Dec. 17 after he was charged for the murder of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner. He did not enter a plea and his arraignment was delayed. NBC legal analyst Misty Marris breaks down what it means and the latest details in the case.
