Late-night hosts are paying tribute to a Hollywood icon.
Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers all reacted to the death of Rob Reiner on their Dec. 15 shows, one day after the “Princess Bride” director was found dead in his home alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. He was 78. The couple’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested in connection with their deaths.
On “The Tonight Show,” Fallon praised Reiner as an “entertainment legend” and noted “everyone here would line up around his dressing room to say hi or tell him something that they loved” when he was a guest on the show.

“I personally remember the last time he was on our show, he came out from the curtain, and I was so happy to see him that I hugged him, and then we didn’t let go of hugging all the way to the guest’s chair,” he recalled with a laugh. “We didn’t plan it. We were just doing a bit, and he knew I was doing a bit and just went along with it.”
Fallon added, “He’s one of the smartest and funniest people I’ve ever met. What a tremendous loss, and he leaves behind such a legacy. Thank you for all the great work on and off screen, and continuing to be an inspiration to me and millions of people around the world. In the end, I’m going to remember all the laughs that you’ve given us.”
In his own monologue, Kimmel praised Reiner as “one of our greatest directors and patriots.”

He also expressed outrage over President Donald Trump posting on Truth Social that Reiner died “due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.” There is no indication that the director’s death was related to politics.
“It’s so hateful and vile, when I first saw it, I thought it was fake,” Kimmel said. “My wife showed it to me this morning, and I was like, even for him, that seemed like too much.”
He added, “I know from my personal interactions with Rob Reiner that he would want us to keep pointing out the loathsome atrocities that continue to ooze out of this sick and irresponsible man’s mouth, and so we’re going to do that over and over again until the rest of us wake up.”
On “Late Night,” Meyers noted that while he didn’t know Rob and Michele Reiner well, they were both “delightful people to be in a room with,” adding, “He was just a person who was so full of love, and so was Michele, and you could tell how much they loved each other.” He recalled watching Reiner’s classic movie “This Is Spinal Tap” for the first time, noting it made him realize “what comedy could be.”
“He was a man who set an example, and there’s such a value in that, and we have to do everything we can to not make setting an example a lost art,” Meyers continued.
The comedian also said that because Reiner was a known Trump critic, he “feared” what the president’s reaction to his death would be, and it was “even worse than I could have imagined.”
“What a good time it would be to have a leader with a moral compass,” Meyers said.
Colbert opened “The Late Show” with somber remarks addressing not only the “heartbreaking deaths” of Rob and Michele Reiner, but also the recent shootings at Bondi Beach in Australia and Brown University.
“We are going to do a comedy show tonight, in light of, and in spite of, the darkness,” he said.
Rob Reiner death: Son Nick arrested
Officials previously confirmed that Reiner, who directed classic movies like “This Is Spinal Tap,” “When Harry Met Sally …,” “Stand by Me,” “Misery” and “A Few Good Men,” and his wife were found dead in their home on Dec. 14.

Reiner’s son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested and “booked for murder,” according to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell. Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner also shared two other children: actors Jake Reiner and Romy Reiner.
Reiner made numerous late-night appearances over the years and has been a guest of Colbert, Kimmel, Fallon and Meyers in the past.
Just three months ago, the actor and director sat down with Meyers for a September interview on “Late Night.” At the time, Meyers introduced Reiner as a “Hollywood icon” and said it was “honor” to have him on the show, and Reiner chatted with the comedian about making the jump to directing after starring on “All in the Family.”
“They said, ‘What? Rob Reiner? What is he doing? He wants to make a movie? He’s directing?'” he said. “It took me years to break the mold and become a director.”
Reiner also appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in September alongside the cast of “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” who Kimmel interviewed as their characters from the comedy sequel.
Colbert had Reiner as a guest on “The Late Show” in 2018, and the host praised Reiner for his and his father Carl Reiner’s contributions to “the last 70 years of American comedy and entertainment.”
“Your heads could be carved on comedy Mount Rushmore,” Colbert said.