Jerry O’Connell was visibly emotional in a new interview after the death of director and mentor Rob Reiner.
O’Connell, 51, had tears streaming down his face while reflecting on his bond with Reiner in CBS News: Rob Reiner — Scenes From a Life, which aired on Sunday, December 21. The episode honored the Hollywood icon, who was found dead with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, in their Brentwood, California, home on Sunday, December 14.
“Rob Reiner heard I was in L.A., and he took me out to lunch, man,” a teary-eyed O’Connell said of connecting with Reiner months after filming Stand by Me. “He didn’t have to do that, you know what I’m saying? It was months after the movie came out. He was a busy man. And he took a 12-year-old me out to lunch just to be like, ‘Thanks so much, what a great movie.’ That lunch meant so much to me. It’s just stuff that kids need to hear.”
O’Connell called Reiner the “best director ever,” praising him for tackling “so many different genres” during his career. He credits his role in Stand by Me for allowing him to branch out and find his path in Hollywood.
“Everything I have in my life is because I was in Stand By Me. Everything,” the Talk alum said.
O’Connell costarred in Stand by Me with Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Kiefer Sutherland, the latter of whom also took part in the CBS special.
“Rob Reiner had an incredible point of view,” Sutherland, 59, reflected during the episode. “A point of view that was inspired by real humanity, kindness, intellect and all of those elements combined allowed him to become a real American storyteller. I can just only imagine all of the stories he had left to tell.”
Rob and Michele, aged 78 and 70, respectively, were parents to kids Jake, 34, Nick, 32, and Romy, 27. (Rob also shared adopted daughter Tracy, 61, with ex-wife Penny Marshall.) Nick was arrested hours after Rob and Michele’s murders and was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He is facing life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted. An arraignment was scheduled for January 7, 2026.
Prior to the CBS special airing, O’Connell spoke out on the tragedy, telling People on Monday, December 15, “We’re all shocked. I can’t speak for them [Wheaton and Feldman], but for myself, I feel like a parent has passed, you know? I just feel like a parent has passed.”
O’Connell praised Rob’s ability to put trust in young kids to lead an ensemble cast in Stand by Me.
“We were saying, we have no idea how he herded a bunch of like 11, 12 and 13-year-old for this movie,” O’Connell said of his costars. “And not only herd us, it wasn’t like a teacher or an authority figure. He was just a special, he was just a special human being … he is just a kind soul, really. A kind soul.”
“Every professional experience I’ve had after Stand by Me, you sort of feel alone a little bit because Rob isn’t there,” he added. “Luckily, I have both of my parents with me, but my mother-in-law passed and just to see that loss that my wife never has really gotten over it, you know? You almost feel like you’re alone now. You know? It’s really devastating.”
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