Michelle Obama said that she and her husband Barack were due to meet Rob and Michele Reiner the same day that the couple were found dead.
Obama was speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday and told Kimmel: “We were supposed to be seeing them that night – last night.” Obama did not clarify what their plans had been, but the Reiners are known to have attended a Christmas party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien on Saturday along with their son Nick, who has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Rob and Michele Reiner’s bodies were discovered with stab wounds in their home in Brentwood in Los Angeles at 3.30pm local time on Sunday, and the Los Angeles police department (LAPD) said that officers from the robbery homicide division “determined that the Reiners were the victims of homicide”. Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested around 9.15pm the same day, and remains in custody without bail.
Obama also addressed the social media post by President Trump, calling Rob Reiner “deranged”, which has drawn widespread condemnation across the political spectrum. Obama said: “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. They are not deranged or crazed.”
She added: “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.”
Barack Obama had previously posted a statement about the Reiners on social media, saying: “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.”
Among a flood of celebrity tributes to Reiner, Jerry Seinfeld posted a message on social media acknowledging Reiner’s role in the success of his sitcom Seinfeld, which was produced by Reiner’s company Castle Rock Entertainment. Seinfeld wrote: “Our show would have never happened without him. He saw something no one else could. When nobody at the network liked the early episodes, he saved us from cancellation.”
Seinfeld added: “That I was working with Carl Reiner’s son, who happened to be one of the kindest people in show business, seemed unreal. I was naive at the time to how much his passion for us meant. Rob and Michele married right as our show was starting and they became an imprint for me of how it’s supposed to work, each one broadening the other. Their death, together, is impossibly sad.”
