The on-air tribute comes nine months after the deaths of Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner
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NEED TO KNOW
- Rob Reiner was honored by his friend Jamie Lee Curtis at the Emmys
- The actress spoke about the late actor and filmmaker during the end of the In Memoriam segment at the 2026 Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 14
- Rob and Curtis appeared alongside each other in New Girl and both had roles in FX’s The Bear, which earned Rob his third career acting Emmy just last week
Jamie Lee Curtis is remembering Rob Reiner.
The actress, 67, paid tribute to her late friend and New Girl costar on Monday, Sept. 14 during the 78th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles during the end of show’s In Memoriam segment.
After recognizing the late James Burrows, Curtis began to cry as she spoke of Rob, who she called “a cherished legend” and her “beloved Meathead,” referring to his role in All in the Family.
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Rob — who died at age 78 in December — and Curtis appeared alongside each other in New Girl from 2012 to 2018 as Jess Day’s parents, Bob and Joan. The pair later both appeared in The Bear, which scored Rob a posthumous Emmy Award.
“Last week, Robby won an Emmy for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his beautiful work on The Bear,” Curtis explained. “And he now holds the record, of 48 years, for the longest gap between acting Emmys — which was previously held by his father, Carl Reiner, at 37 years”
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“He was generous and kind, and funny as hell,” Curtis added. “And a friend to all. And we all miss Rob and Michele and all those we lost this year.”
The tribute comes nine months after Rob and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were killed in their Brentwood home in December 2025. The pair’s 32-year-old son Nick Reiner has since been indicted on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with their deaths and has pleaded not guilty.
Rob earned his posthumous trophy during the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday, Sept. 6, when the filmmaker won the award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Albert Schnurr in The Bear. Also nominated in the category were Michael J. Fox, Brett Goldstein, Hamish Linklater, Christopher McDonald and Connor Storrie.
The crowd gave a lengthy standing ovation from inside the Peacock Theater after Rob’s win. He is now a three-time Emmy winner, while his performance in The Bear’s “Tonnato” episode snagged him his eighth career nod. Both of his two previous Emmy Awards were won for playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic in All in the Family, in both 1974 and 1978.
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The Reiners were also godparents to Curtis’ daughter Annie. Curtis’ husband, Christopher Guest, famously worked alongside Rob on 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap, 1987’s The Princess Bride, 1992’s A Few Good Men and 2025’s Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.
The Primetime Emmy Awards is airing live on NBC and Peacock Monday, Sept. 14, with host Mariska Hargitay.
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