Jamie Lee Curtis struggled to hold back tears at the 2026 Emmy Awards while remembering Rob Reiner, her longtime friend, co-star and part of her extended family.
Curtis took the stage during the Sept. 14 In Memoriam presentation and called Reiner her “beloved Meathead,” a reference to the character that made him famous on All in the Family.
She described him as generous, kind and funny before saying that everyone missed both Reiner and his wife, Michele, according to PEOPLE. The tribute came just eight days after Reiner received a posthumous Emmy for his final major television performance on The Bear.
His Sept. 6 victory gave him his third Emmy and set a record for the longest gap between acting wins, a mark previously held by his father, Carl Reiner, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Curtis Chokes Up Remembering Her ‘Beloved Meathead’
Curtis appeared during a larger memorial presentation honoring television figures who died over the previous year. She first spoke about legendary television director James Burrows before turning to Reiner, whose photograph appeared behind her onstage.
Her voice began to break as she remembered him. “We lost our beloved Meathead, Rob Reiner,” Curtis told the audience, according to the Los Angeles Times. She noted that Reiner had won an Emmy only the week before and pointed out that the victory broke a record previously belonging to his father. Curtis then shifted away from awards and toward the person she knew privately, describing Reiner as generous, funny and kind.
“We miss Rob and Michele,” she said as she became visibly emotional. Variety reported that Curtis remembered Reiner as both a “cherished legend” and someone whose relationships extended far beyond his work.
Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Brentwood home on Dec. 14, 2025. Their son Nick Reiner was later indicted on two counts of murder with special-circumstance allegations including multiple murders and lying in wait. He has pleaded not guilty.
Reiner Had Just Won His Third Emmy for ‘The Bear’
At the Sept. 6 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, he won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for playing Albert in the The Bear episode “Tonnato.” The Television Academy lists the victory as his third win from eight career nominations.
His previous acting Emmys came decades earlier for Michael “Meathead” Stivic on All in the Family. Reiner won Best Supporting Actor in Comedy in 1974 and Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1978. The 48 years between his 1978 and 2026 acting wins established a new Emmy record, surpassing the 37-year gap previously held by Carl Reiner.
Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier accepted the honor on his behalf, while the Television Academy included his victory among the major results from the second night of Creative Arts Emmy presentations.
Reiner played business consultant Albert Schnur on The Bear, working closely with Ebraheim as the restaurant explored expanding its Original Beef operation. His winning episode also earned Curtis an Emmy nomination for her performance as Donna Berzatto.
Curtis also played a role in getting Reiner onto the series in the first place. Before his death, Reiner said she had encouraged him to take the part, telling Good Morning America that acting on the show had been fun because he could simply arrive and focus on the work.
Curtis and Reiner Were Connected Far Beyond ‘New Girl’
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The relationship Curtis was mourning at the Emmys had developed across decades of friendship, family ties and overlapping careers. On New Girl, Reiner played Bob Day, the father of Zooey Deschanel’s Jess, while Curtis played Jess’ mother and Bob’s ex-wife, Joan. Their recurring appearances turned the two veteran actors into an onscreen divorced couple years before they reunited professionally through The Bear.
Their offscreen connection was even closer. Rob and Michele were godparents to Curtis and Guest’s eldest daughter, Annie. InStyle reported that Annie welcomed her first child in December 2025, making Curtis a grandmother during the same period in which the family was grieving the Reiners.
Guest’s own career was closely intertwined with Reiner’s. He starred as Nigel Tufnel in Reiner’s 1984 directorial debut, This Is Spinal Tap, and later appeared in movies including The Princess Bride and the 2025 sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.
Curtis shared one of her most personal memories of Rob and Michele following their deaths. She posted a photograph she had taken of the couple together at Stonehenge while the group was working around the final Spinal Tap concert project. Her message remembered the Reiners not merely as Hollywood colleagues but as a couple who had been intertwined with her family’s life.
Reiner’s Final Television Role Became Part of His Legacy
The Television Academy had already recognized the performance with a posthumous nomination in July. Its announcement singled out Reiner among the notable nominees before he went on to win the category in September.
The series continued acknowledging his presence after his death. Decider reported that Season 5 kept Albert part of the story through references and phone conversations even though Reiner could no longer physically appear in new scenes.
His character’s relationship with Ebra had originally been positioned to continue, and the final season kept Albert’s influence tied to the future of the Original Beef operation.
Reiner’s television career stretched back far beyond The Bear. His portrayal of Meathead opposite Carroll O’Connor on All in the Family established him as one of the defining sitcom performers of the 1970s before he moved increasingly behind the camera.
He later directed films including This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally… and A Few Good Men. His work on the latter also earned him an Academy Award nomination as a producer when the film competed for Best Picture.
The Emmys Included Reiner in a Larger Night of Remembrance
Macaulay Culkin, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy remembered Catherine O’Hara, with Culkin speaking about the woman who played his mother in the Home Alone films. The In Memoriam montage also honored figures including Hayden Panettiere, Tim Curry, James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane.
Noah Kahan performed “Bridge Over Troubled Water” as photographs of late television figures appeared on screen. Rolling Stone reported that the performance accompanied the broader In Memoriam montage.
The evening also included a separate tribute to Dolly Parton. Sally Field remembered her Steel Magnolias co-star before Reba McEntire performed in Parton’s honor.