Ever since the passing of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele over the weekend, tributes have been pouring in from his friends in entertainment, politics, and other areas of American life- everywhere, it would appear, besides the White House.
Among those paying tribute was former First Lady Michelle Obama, who appeared Monday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live and shared that she and her husband had plans to see the Reiners on the very night that they were killed.
“We’ve known them for many, many years, and we were supposed to be seeing them that night, and we got the news. 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; in a time when there is 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.”
BREAKING: Michelle Obama on Jimmy Kimmel talking about Rob Reiner, and taking clear swipe at Trump. .
“We’ve known them for many, many years and we were supposed to be seeing them that night, and we got the news. Let me just say this, unlike some people: Rob and Michele Reiner… pic.twitter.com/vCkrzheaxx
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) December 16, 2025
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The “unlike some people,” and the “deranged or crazed,” were certainly references to President Donald Trump’s instantly infamous Truth Social post, reacting to the news of the Reiners’ death with invective on the morning after they died.
Reiner was involved with Democratic politics for many years, as a fundraiser and strategist, including as part of the push to recognize same-sex marriage.
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…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 15, 2025
Former President Barack Obama had released his own statement followed the Reiners’ death, praising Rob Reiner for holding “a deep belief in the goodness of people—and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action.”
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
