Jimmy Kimmel didn’t mince words when he took on Donald Trump’s comments about Rob Reiner’s tragic death. The feud between the late-night host and the president heated up after Trump posted some truly insensitive remarks following the heartbreaking loss of Reiner and his wife, Michele.
Trump’s words drew sharp criticism from all sides, with many calling them cruel and out of line, especially given the circumstances surrounding the couple’s deaths.
On Monday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel opened by talking about the tough weekend everyone had been through—not just Reiner’s passing, but also the awful shootings at Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah event and at Brown University.
He stressed how much we need empathy and strong leadership in moments like these, particularly when it comes to gun violence and mental health. But, he said, that’s not what we got from the president.
Instead, Trump put out a rambling post on Truth Social that Kimmel read out loud to the audience. In it, Trump called Reiner “tortured and struggling” and suggested the director’s death came from the “anger he caused others” because of his supposed “Trump derangement syndrome”—or TDS, as Trump put it.
Kimmel paused and admitted that when he first saw the post, he honestly thought it had to be fake. His wife showed it to him that morning, and he couldn’t believe even Trump would go that far. But, as he put it, nothing ever seems to be too far for him.
Later, when reporters gave Trump a chance to walk it back or show some regret during a press conference, he just dug in deeper, calling Reiner “deranged” over his politics and saying he wasn’t a fan at all.
Kimmel shook his head and fired back: “That corroded brain is in charge of our lives.”
He told the audience that if anyone voted for Trump and is having second thoughts now, it’s totally okay to change your mind. From knowing Reiner personally, Kimmel said the director would have wanted people to keep calling out this kind of behavior, no matter how uncomfortable it gets.
Kimmel wasn’t the only one paying respects. Stephen Colbert kicked off his show on a somber note, mentioning Reiner’s death alongside the other tragedies, and reminding everyone that real loss isn’t something to joke about or politicize.
The details around what happened to the Reiners are still heartbreaking. Family sources told outlets like TMZ that Rob, Michele, and their son Nick had been at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday night. Things got tense there—Rob and Nick reportedly had a loud argument that a lot of guests overheard.
The next day, Sunday, December 14, the couple was found dead in their Brentwood home in what police described as a brutal double homicide, with signs of stab wounds. Rob was 78, Michele was 68.
Their son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, was arrested soon after on suspicion of murder. Authorities initially set bail at $4 million but later held him without bail as the investigation continues.
It’s a devastating story all around, and one that has left Hollywood and beyond in shock.