Jerry Seinfeld is honoring the late Rob Reiner after the director and his wife, Michele, were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood, Calif., home on Sunday.
The comedian, 71, took to Instagram on Monday to post a picture of himself with Rob and Rob’s late father, Carl Reiner.
“Next to Larry David and George Shapiro, Rob Reiner had the biggest influence on my career,” Seinfeld explained.
David, 78, co-created “Seinfeld” while Shapiro, who died in 2022, was Seinfeld’s manager and a producer on the sitcom.
But according to Seinfeld: “Our show would have never happened without” Rob.
“He saw something no one else could. When nobody at the network liked the early episodes, he saved us from cancellation,” continued the actor.
“That I was working with Carl Reiner’s son, who happened to be one of the kindest people in show business, seemed unreal. I was naive at the time to how much his passion for us meant.”
“Seinfeld” ran for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998 and was produced by Rob’s Castle Rock Entertainment. It also starred Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Jason Alexander.
“Rob and Michele married right as our show was starting and they became an imprint for me of how it’s supposed to work, each one broadening the other,” concluded Seinfeld. “Their death, together, is impossibly sad.”
In 2016, Rob opened up about producing “Seinfeld” while on “The Howard Stern Show.”
The famed director said Castle Rock knew they had a “great show,” despite initial low ratings.
After NBC said the show was due for cancellation, Rob fought for the series.
“They said, ‘We can’t have this show. What is this show? It’s just people sitting around talking,’” he recalled.
After having a “screaming, crazy thing” with NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff, he begged to keep the show going.
“I said, ‘Please, I promise you there’ll be stories. You can’t take this show off the air. It’s going to be one of the great shows you’ve ever had,’” added Rob.
Rob, 78, and his wife, Michele, 68, were found dead by their daughter Romy, 28, the day after attending Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday night.
While at the event, Rob and Michele allegedly got into a “very loud argument” with Nick and left.
According to People, Nick had been “freaking everybody out” at the gathering by “acting crazy” and “asking people if they were famous.”
Nick was taken into custody on Sunday and is currently on suicide watch at Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles. He is being held without bail.
Page Six reported Monday that Nick, who has battled drug addiction for more than half his life, was “egocentric” with “serious behavioral issues” from a young age.
A second insider explained that Nick “really resented his dad” and “hated himself for not being as talented, prolific or beloved.”
Yoga instructor Alanna Zabel saw issues first hand, sharing that when she worked with Rob and Michele in the early 2000s, Nick “interrupted pretty much all of [their] yoga sessions” for “20 minutes or so” with “intense… screaming.”
Alanna told the late couple to tackle their son’s issues “head-on” at the time.
A source also told Us Weekly that Nick “always” had a “volatile” relationship with everyone in his family, including Romy and brother Jake, 34.
The insider added that, over the years, Romy “has been so traumatized by Nick’s behavior.”
“She has always been so close with her parents, and watching their constant pain over Nick has impacted her and the whole family so much,” the source expressed.
“It’s been so much of their life,” they continued. “Rob and Michele were honest about their struggles with Nick, and those who spent time with the family saw it firsthand.”
Nick’s “anger was directed at his parents for many, many years.”
“They did everything a parent could possibly do to help him,” alleged the insider. “Even in his younger years, they really tried to get him help. And then it became a cycle of seeking treatment for him, kicking him out, or him leaving the house, him moving back in.”
Rob and Michele’s family released a statement on Sunday following their deaths.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” the family began to Variety. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Rob’s oldest daughter, actress Tracy Reiner, also released her own statement.
The 61-year-old was adopted by the “All in the Family” star during his 10-year marriage to the late Penny Marshall.
“I came from the greatest family ever,” Tracy told NBC News. “I don’t know what to say. I’m in shock.”
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