Rob Reiner's long-buried personal link to Donald Trump has resurfaced days after the U.S. president publicly attacked the late Hollywood icon following his murder, OK! can reveal.
Reiner, 78, the actor and director best known for When Harry Met Sally and Stand By Me, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner were found dead on December 14 at their $13.5 million six-bedroom Brentwood home in Los Angeles. Their son Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested hours after their bodies were found and has now been charged with the double murder of his parents.
Source: MEGARob Reiner's wife photographed the cover of Donald Trump's 'The Art of the Deal.
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The killings prompted a wave of tributes from fans and the couple's famous friends - which were abruptly overshadowed when the preisdent, 79, blamed the couple's deaths on what he called Reiner's "Trump Derangement Syndrome." As condemnation of the remarks spread, a 2017 podcast interview unexpectedly drew fresh attention. In it, Rob revealed his wife - who was a professional photographer - shot the snap of Donald used on the cover of his ghost-written 1987 bestseller The Art of the Deal. The revelation has stunned friends and colleagues who knew Rob primarily as one of Donald's fiercest Hollywood critics.
One industry source said: "People are genuinely shocked to hear there was ever a personal or creative overlap between Rob and Trump. After the president abused him so viciously after his death, this connection feels especially jarring." Another added: "It complicates the story in a way no one expected and makes Trump's comments seem even more cruel."Speaking on Politico's "Off Message" podcast in 2017, Rob was asked by journalist Edward-Isaac Dovere about Donald's skills as a performer.
Source: MEGARob Reiner was murdered earlier this month.
He replied: "I mean, he has a persona, and he has a charisma." Rob then shared an anecdote from the photoshoot."My wife, Michele, who is a professional photographer, she took the photo that's on the cover of the book The Art of the Deal," he added. "And the wind was blowing, and he said, 'I got to get this hairspray,' you know, 'I need this special hairspray.'"Rob added Donald "was always larger than life" and "always attractive in that, you know, charismatic celebrity way," while stressing the MAGA leader was "not for every audience." He later joked in 2018 about the book photo: "She has a lot to atone for."Despite that history, Rob spent the past decade condemning Donald's presidency, once calling him "mentally unfit" and warning of authoritarianism. In a 2017 interview, he blasted: "Donald Trump is the single most unqualified human being to ever assume the presidency of the United States."Donald responded to Rob's death with a savage Truth Social post claiming the filmmaker was "known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump."He later told reporters: "Well, I wasn't a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person. As far as Trump was concerned."
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Source: MEGADonald Trump posted controversial comments following Rob Reiner's murder.
A political source said the resurfaced anecdote has intensified backlash against Donald's remarks. "People cannot believe that Trump would mock and vilify someone he once relied on to help craft his image," they said. "The contrast is stark, and it's leaving even some Republicans uncomfortable."
Source: MEGANick Reiner is being charged with the murder of his parents.
Rob's daughter Romy Reiner, 28, is said to have discovered her dad's bloodied body. The tragic couple are also survived by their actor and podcast host son Jake Reiner, 34, and Rob's daughter Tracy Reiner, 61, whom he had with his ex Penny Marshall - alongside five grandchildren now also left at the center of a tragedy that has become painfully politicized.