Conan O’Brien Admits Rob and Michele Reiner’s Deaths Still Hit Him ‘Multiple Times a Week’

Nearly a year after the Hollywood couple's shocking deaths, those closest to them are finding meaningful ways to keep their spirit alive. For one longtime friend, that means showing up for the causes they championed.

Conan O'Brien is still grieving the tragic deaths of his close friends Michele and Rob Reiner. The former late-night host opened up about the loss while honoring their legacy at the Children's Institute's 2026 Cape & Gown Gala on November 8.

Conan O'Brien attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15 in California. | Source: Getty Images

"It's so devastating and surreal that Rob and Michele are not with us anymore," the comedian, 63, said on Sunday evening. "I think multiple times a week, it will hit me that they're not here. It leaves you feeling very hollow."

O'Brien, who was close to the pair, also stressed the importance of continuing the causes they held dear.

"This event, something that they cared about so much, the Children's Institute, is just a way to imagine and realize that they're here and they're working," he continued. "They started something, and we keep them with us. We keep them close if we join in and do the work because that's what they were all about."

Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner attend the Human Rights Campaign's 2025 Los Angeles Dinner honoring Ashley Park and Hannah Einbinder at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 22 in California. | Source: Getty Images

The heartfelt tribute comes almost a year after Rob, the director behind beloved classics like "When Harry Met Sally..." and "Stand By Me," and Michele, a photographer and producer, were discovered dead inside their Los Angeles home on December 14, 2025.

Their son Nick was subsequently arrested and now faces two counts of first-degree murder, along with special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and using a knife.

Just hours before the tragedy, O'Brien had spent time with the couple, as Rob, Michele, and Nick all attended the comedian's holiday party on December 13.

Rob Reiner, Michele Singer, Romy Reiner, Nick Reiner, Maria Gilfillan and Jake Reiner at "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" Los Angeles Premiere held at The Egyptian Theatre on September 9, 2025 in California. | Source: Getty Images

"I knew Rob and Michele, and then increasingly got closer and closer to them," O'Brien previously told The New Yorker in February, noting that he and his wife, Liza Powel O'Brien, "were seeing them a lot."

"They were just such lovely people," he added. "And to have that experience of saying good night to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they're gone.... I think I was in shock for quite a while afterward. I mean, there's no other word for it."

The TV personality also touched on what it meant to lose Rob, who never shied away from speaking up for the issues he cared about.

Conan O'Brien speaks during the Conan O'Brien Must Go S2 World Premiere at American Cinematheque in LA at the Aero Theatre on April 9, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. | Source: Getty Images

"It's just so awful," he told the outlet. "And I think about how Rob felt about things that are happening in the country, how involved he was, how much he put himself out there — and to have that voice go quiet in an instant is still hard for me to comprehend."

At Sunday's gala, the Children's Institute brought in a record $4 million as more than 600 attendees filled the Beverly Wilshire Hotel to honor the late filmmaker and his wife and the lasting mark they left behind.

Jake and Romy Reiner, the couple's other children, also celebrated their parents' legacy as they handed Jamie Lee Curtis, 67, the first-ever Michele & Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award.

Jake Reiner, Romy Reiner and Jamie Lee Curtis speak onstage during the 8th Annual Cape & Gown Gala at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on November 8, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images

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Created alongside their aunt, Martine Singer, president and CEO of the Children's Institute, the award recognizes the couple's decades-long commitment to championing children and families.

"Their love was generous, fierce and unconditional: if they loved you, you knew it. What's amazing is that their love extended to all children," Singer said. "Michele and Rob were a force field."

"Our mission is to continue expressing that outrage, that sense of urgency, and do something with our own loud voices," she continued. "That's how we amplify the genius and the power of their work."