Conan O’Brien has been looking back on the legacy of one of Hollywood’s best-known directors after his death, sharing how Rob Reiner’s films helped shape O’Brien’s own comedic instincts and approach to storytelling years before the two became friends.
In discussing Reiner’s influence, the late-night host pointed to titles such as Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men, and When Harry Met Sally as cultural touchstones that left a lasting mark. Over time, O’Brien and his wife also developed a close friendship with Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, regularly crossing paths with the couple at Los Angeles gatherings and industry events.
Speaking in a recent interview with The New Yorker, O’Brien revisited what he views as an extraordinary streak in Reiner’s career, and why those films still connect with audiences decades later.
O’Brien said: “I think it’s seven movies that Rob Reiner made, in quick succession, that are classics. Now, if you can make one great movie, that’s impressive. It’s an almost impossible feat. To make two means that you’re one of the greats. To make seven – in, like, a nine-year, 10-year, 11-year period – is insanity.”
He also reflected on the impact Spinal Tap had on him as a young viewer, saying: “If that’d been the only thing [Reiner] ever did, he influenced my generation enormously. When ‘Spinal Tap’ came out, I was in college, and it was like a splitting-the-atom moment. You have those moments where you see something truly remarkable.”
O’Brien’s comments arrive amid a shocking and painful situation. He has now spoken publicly after Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were killed only hours after attending a holiday party at O’Brien’s Los Angeles home.
According to reports, the couple were discovered dead the next morning, and authorities are investigating the deaths as a homicide. Their son, Nick Reiner, 32, has been charged with the double murder and is scheduled to appear in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, February 23.
Describing the moment he learned what had happened, O’Brien said: “They were just such lovely people. And to have that experience of saying good night to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they’re gone. … I think I was in shock for quite a while afterward. I mean, there’s no other word for it. It’s just very – it’s so awful. It’s just so awful.”
He also spoke about the absence the loss has created, adding: “I think about how Rob felt about things that are happening in the country, how involved he was, how much he put himself out there—and to have that voice go quiet in an instant is still hard for me to comprehend.”