Jerry Seinfeld paid tribute to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner after the couple were found dead in their Los Angeles home, crediting the director with keeping Seinfeld alive long enough to become a hit. In an Instagram post, Seinfeld wrote that Reiner had a “biggest influence” on his career outside of key collaborators and added: “Our show would have never happened without him,” saying Reiner “saved us from cancellation” when NBC disliked early episodes.
Police say Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 68, were discovered Sunday afternoon at their Brentwood residence with apparent stab wounds. Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, was arrested hours later on suspicion of murder and was held without bail as of Monday, with prosecutors expected to review the case Tuesday for possible formal charges. Investigators have not publicly identified a motive, and family representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Seinfeld’s remembrance also pointed to the Reiners’ marriage as a personal model, writing that the couple “became an imprint” of what partnership should look like. Rob Reiner co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment, which produced Seinfeld, and he previously described pressing NBC to keep the series on the air during its shaky early run. Reiner later made Being Charlie, a film shaped by Nick Reiner’s addiction struggles, a subject Rob Reiner discussed publicly in interviews years before the killings.
Tributes have spread across Hollywood and politics, with colleagues praising Reiner’s film work and the couple’s activism. Michele Singer Reiner, a photographer and producer, worked on multiple projects and served on boards tied to marriage-equality litigation in California. The deaths have also sparked political crossfire after President Donald Trump attacked Reiner in a social media post, a move that drew criticism from people across the spectrum.
