Los Angeles [US], November 10 (ANI): Comedian and talk show host Conan O’Brien has said that the loss of his close friends, filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner, continues to affect him, revealing that their absence hits him “multiple times a week” and leaves him feeling “very hollow”, according to People.
O’Brien, 63, reflected on the couple’s deaths while honouring their legacy at the Children’s Institute’s annual Cape & Gown Gala on November 8. The event, held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, brought together more than 600 guests and raised a record-breaking USD 4 million to celebrate the lives and contributions of the late filmmaker and his wife.
“It’s so devastating and surreal that Rob and Michele are not with us anymore,” O’Brien said. “I think multiple times a week, it will hit me that they’re not here. It leaves you feeling very hollow,” according to People.
Remembering the couple’s association with the Children’s Institute, O’Brien said continuing the work they cared deeply about was a way of keeping their memory alive.
“This event, something that they cared about so much, the Children’s Institute, is just a way to imagine and realize that they’re here and they’re working,” he said. “They started something, and we keep them with us. We keep them close if we join in and do the work because that’s what they were all about.”
The comments come nearly a year after Rob Reiner, known for directing films such as ‘When Harry Met Sally…’ and ‘Stand By Me’, and Michele Reiner, a photographer and producer, were found dead at their Los Angeles home on December 14, 2025, according to People.
Their son Nick was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, with special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and the use of a knife.
O’Brien had spent time with the couple just hours before their deaths, as Rob, Michele and Nick had attended his holiday party on December 13.
In an earlier conversation in February, O’Brien had spoken about his growing friendship with the couple and the shock of learning about their deaths shortly after saying goodbye to them.
“I knew Rob and Michele, and then increasingly got closer and closer to them,” he had said, adding that he and his wife, Liza Powel O’Brien, “were seeing them a lot.”
“They were just such lovely people,” he added. “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.”
O’Brien also recalled Reiner’s outspoken advocacy and his engagement with issues affecting the country, saying the loss of his friend’s voice remained difficult to comprehend.
“It’s just so awful,” he told the outlet. “And 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.”
At Sunday’s gala, the couple’s children, Jake and Romy Reiner, also paid tribute to their parents while presenting the inaugural Michele & Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award to actor Jamie Lee Curtis, 67.
The award was established in partnership with their aunt, Martine Singer, president and CEO of the Children’s Institute, to recognise the couple’s decades-long advocacy for children and families.
Singer remembered the Reiners for their unconditional love and commitment to children, saying their legacy would continue through the organisation’s work.
“Their love was generous, fierce and unconditional: if they loved you, you knew it. What’s amazing is that their love extended to all children,” Singer said, according to People.
“Michele and Rob were a force field. Our mission is to continue expressing that outrage, that sense of urgency, and do something with our own loud voices. That’s how we amplify the genius and the power of their work,” she added.
Jake, 35, and Romy, 28, also honoured their parents while recognising Curtis’ longstanding commitment to supporting children and families.
Curtis, whose charitable initiative My Hand In Yours has raised nearly USD 2 million for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, paid tribute to the couple, describing their personalities and presence as unforgettable.
“Rob and Michele lived so fiercely, so loudly. They were undeniable,” she said.
The evening also featured a performance by musician John Mayer and remarks by comedian Chelsea Handler, who spoke about carrying forward the Reiners’ legacy through the Children’s Institute, according to People.
“Rob and Michele have brought so many of us together. They are with us, and they will remain with us,” Handler said. (ANI)
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