The tribute to Reiner comes on the heels of his historic, posthumous win at the Creative Arts Emmys for his guest role on “The Bear.”

Rob Reiner tribute led by Jamie Lee Curtis brings audience to tears at Emmys 2026

The tribute to Reiner comes on the heels of his historic, posthumous win at the Creative Arts Emmys for his guest role on “The Bear.”

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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September 14, 2026 10:59 p.m. ET

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Rob Reiner. Credit:

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- Rob Reiner was the subject of a tearful tribute at the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards.

- Jamie Lee Curtis** **took to the Peacock Theater stage at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles to pay homage to the beloved filmmaker.

- Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were murdered on Dec. 14, 2025. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.

Rob Reiner’s memory was alive and adored at the 2026 Emmy Awards.

Tributes haven’t stopped pouring in for the beloved filmmaker, who was killed at age 78 alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, at their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14, 2025. But none were as grand or as tearjerking as the homage led Jamie Lee Curtis at the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, held on Monday at the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles.

The tribute to Reiner came at the end of the evening’s heartrending In Memoriam segment, which commemorated the indelible work of stars that we lost over the course of the past year, from Hayden Panettiere and Dolly Parton to Eric Dane and Catherine O’Hara. The Peacock Theater’s big screen then lingered on a photo of Reiner’s *Free Country *and *More Than Friends *collaborator, James Burrows, and out walked Curtis.

“The great James Burrows set a standard of comedy directing that will be cherished and studied for generations to come. And sadly, last year, We lost another cherished legend, our beloved ‘Meathead,’ Rob Reiner,” Curtis said.

Jamie Lee Curtis pays tribute to Rob Reiner at 2026 Emmys.

Rich Polk/Variety via Getty

Curtis and Reiner not only appeared on (and won Emmys for) *The Bear*, they costarred for years as Bob and Joan Day, the divorced parents of Zooey Deschanel’s character on *New Girl*. “He was generous and kind and funny as hell,” Curtis continued, her voice breaking with emotion. “We all miss Rob, and Michele, and all that we lost this year.”

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The touching tribute comes on the heels of Reiner’s historic win at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Last Sunday, Reiner posthumously received the Emmy award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in “Tonnato,” a 2025 episode of *The Bear*.

Rob Reiner on ‘The Bear’.

Reiner appeared as the kindly Albert Schnurr, a restaurant consultant and mentor to line cook Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson), on season 4 of the culinary drama. The award became Reiner’s third, following 1974 and 1978 wins for his performance on *All in the Family*. This year’s award also broke a record previously held by his father, Carl Reiner, for the longest span of years between acting wins (Carl previously won for performances in 1958 and 1995).

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Though Reiner wasn’t nominated for any awards in the main ceremony, several of his close friends and collaborators were.

Martin Short, who shared a decades-long friendship with Reiner, was nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category for his performance on *Only Murders in the Building *season 5. Short was among a group of Reiner’s close friends who shared their own heart-wrenching tribute to the filmmaker after his death, writing in part, “To be in his hands as a film maker was a privilege but that is only part of his legacy.”

Of course, Ayo Edebiri co-starred on *The Bear *with Reiner, though they never shared any scenes. Edebiri was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work as Sydney Adamu on the series, and two more nominated actresses share connections with Reiner.

Michelle Pfeiffer, who was nominated in the Supporting Comedy Actress category for *Margo’s Got Money Troubles*, starred in the 1999 drama *The Story of Us*, which Reiner appeared in and also directed. Allison Janney, who was nominated in the Supporting Drama Actress category for *The Diplomat*, co-starred with Reiner in 1998’s *Primary Colors*, and Reiner also cast her on two episodes of his short-lived CBS mockumentary series* Morton & Hayes *in the early 1990s.

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Source: “EW Emmys”