“We were supposed to be seeing them that night — last night,” Michelle Obama said of Rob and Michele Reiner on Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight. The Reiners were found slain from apparent knife wounds in their Brentwood home Sunday afternoon. Late last night, the Reiners’ 32-year-old son Nick was arrested by the police as a suspect.
The former president posted Sunday evening that the Obamas were “heartbroken” by the news.
“We’ve known them for many, many years,” the former first lady told Jimmy Kimmel this evening, shaking her head at the thought of the tragedy.
The former first lady then went on to address the current president’s bizarre statements about Rob Reiner after the filmmaker’s death; Trump called him “deranged” and “tortured and struggling.”
“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,” Obama told Kimmel. “They are not deranged or crazed. What they have always been are passionate people who — in a time when there’s 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. And that is the truth. I DO know them.”
Michelle Obama revealed on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ that she and Barack Obama had plans to have dinner with Rob and Michele Reiner on Sunday night. pic.twitter.com/RwMBjgl3px
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) December 16, 2025
The Obamas have been connected to Hollywood for years. Their Higher Ground production company began with an exclusive deal at Netflix that harvested the Oscar winner American Factory, Crip Camp, Leave the World Behind and the Kevin Hart-starrer Fatherhood. Higher Ground also produced the Netflix series The Later Daters.
They signed an extension of their creative partnership with Netflix in 2024, but the deal is now a non-exclusive first look.
Below is former President Obama’s full statement on the Reiners’ death.
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 people—and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action. Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose. They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired. We send our deepest condolences to all who loved them.
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
