Rob Reiner's Best 'All in the Family' Scene Wasn't Even Planned

Among all the major losses we’ve experienced in 2025, the tragic death of Rob Reiner at the age of 78 might be the most heartbreaking. Reiner, found murdered in his home along with his wife, Michele Reiner, on December 14, 2025, leaves an extraordinary legacy as an actor, writer, director, and activist. Before transitioning to film directing, helming modern classics such as This is Spinal Tap and When Harry Met Sally…, Reiner was already an established icon thanks to his near-decade-long turn as Michael “Meathead” Stivic inAll in the Family. The son of legendary comic actor and writer Carl Reiner, his performance as the progressive, left-leaning son-in-law of the uber-conservative and bigoted Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) elevatedNorman Lear‘s groundbreaking show from a rudimentary family sitcom to a culture-defining text of modern America.