LGBTQ advocates recall Rob, Michele Reiner following couple’s killing

LGBTQ advocates are remembering Hollywood actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, after news broke Sunday night that the couple were found dead in their Brentwood home. Los Angeles police have arrested one of the couple’s sons, Nick Reiner, on suspicion of homicide, multiple media outlets reported.

Nick Reiner is being held without bail, according to reports.

Rob Reiner, 78, is known for playing Archie Bunker’s liberal son-in-law, Mike, aka “Meathead,” on “All in the Family,” a groundbreaking television comedy that aired in the 1970s. He then went into directing and made some of Hollywood’s best-known films such as “This is Spinal Tap” (1984), “Stand by Me” (1986), “The Princess Bride” (1987), and “When Harry Met Sally” (1989).

Michele Singer Reiner, 68, was an accomplished producer and photographer.

Reiner and his wife were also known for supporting LGBTQ rights. Kelley Robinson, a Black queer woman who’s president of the national Human Rights Campaign, issued a statement acknowledging the Reiners’ contributions. The Reiners had for years been dedicated supporters of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, co-founding the American Foundation for Equal Rights to fight back against Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage in California, HRC noted. Prop 8 was passed by Golden State voters in 2008.

“The entire HRC family is devastated by the loss of Rob and Michele Reiner,” Robinson stated. “Rob is nothing short of a legend – his television shows and films are a part of our American history and will continue to bring joy to millions of people across the world.

“Yet for all his accomplishments in Hollywood, Rob and Michele will most be remembered for their gigantic hearts, and their fierce support for the causes they believed in – including LGBTQ+ equality. So many in our movement remember how Rob and Michele organized their peers, brought strategists and lawyers together, and helped power landmark Supreme Court decisions that made marriage equality the law of the land – and they remained committed to the cause until their final days,” Robinson added. “The world is a darker place this morning without Rob and Michele –may they rest in power.”

AFER brought a successful federal lawsuit against Prop 8, Hollingsworth v. Perry, in 2010. AFER recruited two of the country’s top lawyers, the late Theodore Olson, a conservative, and David Boies, a liberal, who had argued on opposite sides before the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2000 Bush v. Gore case that handed the presidency to George W. Bush.

In the Prop 8 trial, which was held without a jury, then-federal judge Vaughn Walker ruled that the same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Walker's decision in February 2012, and the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2013 upheld the appellate court's decision.

 
Walker came out as gay after the trial. Griffin would go on to lead HRC from 2012 to 2019. Olson died in 2024.

Linking to a Hollywood Reporter article about the Reiners’ involvement in the case, gay retired television journalist Hank Plante in a Facebook post credited the couple for securing marriage rights for him and his husband, artist Roger Groth, along with other same-sex couples. Plante had covered the federal lawsuit while working for the CBS affiliate in San Francisco.

“Rob & Michele Reiner are the reason we have legal same-sex marriage in this country. They put together the case and helped finance it, despite misgivings among gay leaders over whether a lawsuit was the right approach. It was a privilege for me to report on how they did it,” wrote Plante, who now resides in Palm Springs.

In a post on Threads, the No H8 Campaign paid tribute to Reiner, setting, “Remembering Rob Reiner, legendary director-actor and steadfast advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, whose voice helped foster greater understanding and acceptance. Rest in peace.”

HRC stated that the Reiners had been longtime allies of the organization and the entire LGBTQ+ community. They were honored at the 2015 HRC Las Vegas Gala for their work to advance marriage equality. They were also special guests at the 2019 HRC Los Angeles Dinner, where the Advocate reported that Rob Reiner said, “We have to move past singling out transgender, LGBTQ, black, white, Jewish, Muslim, Latino. We have to get way past that and start accepting the idea that we're all human beings. We’re all human beings, we all share the same planet, and we should all have the same rights, period. It's no more complicated than that.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom and first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom expressed their condolences on the death of the couple. It was Newsom’s bucking state law while mayor of San Francisco and ordering city officials to marry same-sex couples in 2004 that was the genesis for the state and later federal legal fights that culminated in the Hollingsworth v. Perry case.

“Rob was the big-hearted genius behind so many of the classic stories we love, with projects as wide-ranging as ‘The Princess Bride’ to ‘A Few Good Men,’” Newsom stated. “His boundless empathy made his stories timeless, teaching generations how to see goodness and righteousness in others – and encouraging us to dream bigger.

“That empathy extended well beyond his films,” the governor and first partner pointed out. “Rob was a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights – from taking on Big Tobacco to fighting for marriage equality to serving as a powerful voice in early education. He made California a better place through his good works.

“Rob will be remembered for his remarkable filmography and for his extraordinary contribution to humanity,” the governor stated.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass mourned the loss of the couple.

“Personally, I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of Rob and his wife Michele,” Bass stated. “I knew Rob and have tremendous respect for him. Among his numerous contributions, Rob helped create First 5 California, a landmark initiative funded by a tobacco tax to support early childhood development programs. He and Michele fought for early childhood development and marriage equality, working to overturn Proposition 8. They were true champions for LGBTQ+ rights.”

SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, recording artists, and many others, also issued a statement.

“Rob Reiner is one of the most significant figures in the history of film and television,” SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin stated. “The impact he made on American culture simply can’t be overstated. Tributes will pour in and the impossibly long list of genre defining films and indelible performances will play in our minds and hearts. Rob Reiner was a member of our union for nearly 60 years. We send love and warmth to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s families, friends and colleagues. Our entertainment community and audiences around the world will mourn deeply. On a personal note, so many of Mr. Reiner’s films and performances made me think, made me emotional and especially they made me laugh really hard. That’s how I will remember him.”