Director and actor Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 68, have died. People magazine reported on December 14 that the couple's 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, killed his parents, per multiple sources.
Before Reiner established himself as one of the most beloved directors in Hollywood, he starred as Michael "Meathead" Stivic in the hit sitcom, All in the Family. In the comedy, which had a nine-season run until 1979, Michael was married to Gloria Stivic, played by Sally Struthers.
Struthers spoke about co-starring alongside Reiner in an April 2025 interview withCelebrity Drop. During the interview, Struthers explained that the All in the Family scripts needed to be the right length to account for the live studio audiences' laughter. She said that Reiner would edit the scripts during the cast's table reads.
"Rob Reiner was light years ahead of everyone with what to do. He would say, 'Alright, everybody, go to page two. You see Edith [played by Jean Stapleton] and Archie's [played by Carroll O'Connor] lines at the bottom of that page. You can cut it. You won't miss them. It doesn't ruin a joke,'" said Struthers during the interview.
According to the Gilmore Girls star, the show's creator, Norman Lear, wasn't initially happy with Reiner's edits. However, Lear and the show's cast "quickly learned Rob was correct."
Struthers also said she wasn't pleased when Reiner would cut one of her character's lines.
"I'd be sitting there with steam coming out of my ears because I had three lines. So if you took one of them away, I had two lines," said Struthers.
She said that Reiner eventually advised her to focus on "the success of each of the episodes" instead of the number of lines she had.
"I forced myself to have that attitude. And after that, I was offering to give up lines. He fixed the whole thing for me. That's a very smart guy," continued Struthers in the April 2025 interview.
She also said that she "was in awe of him" because "he was light years ahead of [her] in terms of the industry and and the business of show." According to Struthers, Reiner was already planning his career as a director while he was shooting All in the Family.
"He was in his mid-20s, he had already plotted out his career post-Meatthead. And I was just showing up every day, never thinking about the future," said Struthers.
When Struthers was asked if she and Reiner were "good friends," she replied, "I thought we were." She said that after she and Reiner left All in the Family after its eighth season, he made a habit of calling her.
"He would call me every once in a while. And he wouldn't say hello. He would just start a joke and then he'd say it and then he'd hang up," recalled Struthers with a laugh in the interview.
She said that his calls "went on for a few years," until he stopped.
"I didn't understand why it stopped," said Struthers.
She also said that she interacted with Reiner during the 2003 premiere of The Producers at Hollywood's Pantages Theatre.
"I went running toward him screaming, 'Robby!' And he put his hand out ahead of me, really stiffly like the Tin Man, shook my hand, keeping me as far away from him as possible. He, speaking robotically, said, 'Hello, Sally. Nice to see you, Sally.' I was horrified," said Struthers.
She theorized that Reiner wanted Singer Reiner, whom he wed in 1989, to feel comfortable about their dynamic. She also said that she decided that she would avoid him in public after that situation.
"But after that, I felt if I ever was walking down the street and saw him walking toward me, I would duck in an alley. I didn't want to ever have that thing happen again," said Struthers.
The actress then told Celebrity Drop that Reiner's first wife, late actress and director Penny Marshall, was suspicious about their friendship.
"He did tell me one day at CBS, 'Penny's coming to the taping tonight.' I said, 'Why are you telling me that. She comes every week for the taping.' He said, 'Because I don't want you to say hi to her.' 'Why?' He says, 'She thinks you and I are having an affair.' And I said, 'You're kidding,'" said Struthers.
According to Struthers, Reiner told her that Marshall mistook her friendliness for flirtatiousness.
"He says, 'No, she misunderstands your friendliness. You know, Sally, you are a lot like a cocker spaniel a puppy. You just rush up to everybody with your tail wagging. And she doesn't understand that kind of friendliness 'cause that's not her personality. So, she thinks it's a cover up or something. So, just wait. Wait till she says hello to you first.' That took a few years," recalled Struthers during the interview.
She clarified that she "loved Penny" and "found Penny to be so interesting." In addition, she said she was "sorry she's gone because she directed films, too, and she was amazing."
Struthers also suggested that she was not upset that she and Reiner didn't remain close.
"Friendships can change, not just in show business. People can ghost you and you don't know why. Just things change. They turn on a dime and you have to just let it go," said Struthers in the interview.
She also noted that she and Reiner honored Lear, who died in 2023, at the 2024 Emmy Awards together.
"I did see Rob a little over a year ago at the Emmy Awards. We presented the In Memoriam segment on the Emmys. And it was the first time he and I had seen one another in years. And that went just fine," said the 78-year-old actress.
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