Michelle Obama shares she was supposed to see Rob and Michele Reiner the night of their death, defends them against Trump comments

The former First Lady told Jimmy Kimmel on his talk show Monday night that she had known the Reiners for “many years” and was supposed to see them the night they were killed.

Reflecting on her relationship with the late actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife, film producer Michele Singer Reiner, former First Lady Michelle Obama revealed that she was supposed to visit the Reiner family the night of their tragic deaths.

Obama was a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” when she and Kimmel discussed the sudden news, and Kimmel offered his condolences to her. The Obamas were longtime friends of the Reiners, she said.

“We’ve known them for many, many years. And we were supposed to be seeing them that night,” she told Kimmel.

Obama also used the moment to make a statement defending her friends, which may be in counter to President Donald Trump’s attacks on the couple that he made in response to the news of their death. In a post on the right-wing social media platform Truth Social and later to reporters, Trump called Rob Reiner “deranged” and said that he believed the later actor was “bad for our country.”

Let me just say this: Unlike some people, Rob and Michelle Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know,” she said. “They are not derranged or crazed. What they have always been are passionate people.”

She shared what she believed people should know about the Reiners instead.

“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. I do know them.”

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Reiner and Singer Reiner were found dead in their home in Los Angeles on Sunday. Police have now arrested their son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, and charged him with the murder of his parents.

Former President Barack Obama also posted a statement on X to honor the Reiners on Sunday, following the news.

“Michelle and I are heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele. Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people—and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action,” he wrote on X.

He continued, saying that Rob and Michele Reiner’s lives were “defined by purpose.”

“They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired. We send our deepest condolences to all who loved them.”