Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” honored the memory of late director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, during his December 15 episode. The couple tragically passed away in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, December 14.
Kimmel’s Statement on Reiner
The host opened up about the passing of Reiner and his wife in the opening monologue from his December 15 episode, calling him “one of our greatest directors and patriots.”
‘Spinal Tap’ Rockers Take Over ‘Kimmel’
Reiner recently appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in September 2025 with the cast of his 1984 classic “This Is Spinal Tap” (Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest all fully in character as David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls, and Nigel Tufnel), to promote their new sequel, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” with Reiner returning as documentarian Marty DiBergi.
When Kimmel asked Marty (Reiner) if he was the one who got the guys together, he jested, “I don’t really think I did. I think they were forced together by a contract that they had to honor calling for one more performance. And I was just lucky enough to be the one chosen to document it.”
Shearer interjected, “but you chose yourself to do it.”
“I did. Well, I chose, yes, I chose myself,” Reiner admitted.
Speaking of contracts, Kimmel moved on to detail the group’s “Rider,” which is a contract that lists the items an artist wants in their dressing room. “Four kinds of orange juice, Tropicana no pulp, Tropicana with pulp, Tropicana extra pulp, and Tropicana just pulp,” the host listed out.
“There’s also one called the ghost pulp,” added McKean.
When Kimmel asked the group how often they get together, Guest responded, “this is it.”
“What you don’t understand is that we break up on average twice or three times a year just to stay in shape, really,” added McKean.
The group went on to discuss the first film that brought them a lot of recognition, the first time they heard their own music on the radio, how their songwriting process has changed, having some very famous guests on their new album, such as Elton John, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood, if they desire knighthood, which musicians they’re fans of, their new book “Smell the Book,” whether or not they were invited to perform at the presidential inauguration, and why we don’t hear a lot of “Spinal Tap” music in movies or television commercials.
The English rockers then took the stage to play “Big Bottom,” with the help of a new drummer and multiple bassists, including Thundercat:
In September, Kimmel was indefinitely suspended from his late-night show. The suspension lasted several days, a decision which received major backlash from entertainment industry professionals, including Reiner, who was very vocal about his opposition on CNN.
